A Wish Within Darkness
by Narino
Summary: The worst thing to happen to her friend was to become a Witch, she thought. Then Madoka's latest wish went wrong on more levels than even Kyubey could have foreseen and now Homura has to sort things out with an addition to her family, a Witch that should not exist yet by any means and the consequences of both of the above.
1. Prologue

Another failure.

With dull eyes, the lone Magical Girl watched the gargantuan silhouette of what had once been her friend. It was slowly floating away from her direction, possibly going for Tokyo due to the large amount of people in the capital. Whatever the Witch was doing, Homura did not care for it anymore.

She failed again.

But even knowing that, she could not avert her gaze. Not yet.

 _It was so promising..._

She got along with Mami and even Sayaka grudgingly accepted her. Madoka and her had been friends again. They became close enough for Homura to tell her about everything she had been through.

In retrospect, the time traveler realised, this was her greatest mistake in this timeline.

This creature in the distance existed because her very one friend made a wish for Homura's sake. Because she had been too weak to resist the temptation of being close to her again.

The burden of all those tears she would never shed had the girl buckle down, her face contorting. But even then she kept some control. She did not cry.

If she did, all might be lost. She could not give in, no matter how strong the urge was.

 _'I wonder'_ , a high-pitched voice caught her attention. _It_ sat directly in front of the Magical Girl, its tail swishing back and forth while it looked Homura over with these cold, red orbs it had for eyes. It did not seem bothered by the debris protruding from the water of the storm.

After a few moments of silent staring, the Magical Girl got to her feet and placed a hand on her shield.

"I don't care what you wonder about."

Then she turned around and mentally prepared to jump back again. However, her hand was stopped from turning the device upside down upon hearing Kyubey's next question: _'Don't you find this odd? A being as powerful as Kaname Madoka made a wish like that and yet, nothing happened. Even those that harbour only small amounts of potential would have gotten something out of it, but she did not.'_

It was right, Homura realised while looking down at her glowing Soul Gem. The crystal did not emanate this light because of the Witch towering into the sky, though. It started the moment Madoka made her wish and did not stop ever since. Just another reminder of how terribly she failed.

Her hands were clutched to fists now, but the time traveler relaxed her fingers soon after while closing her eyes. "But even then, there is no more need for me to stay."

Now her fingers tightened around and turned the shield upside down, thus ripping open the flow of time and having her move against it. The remains of Mitakihara vanished and Homura was engulfed by white light. She felt herself become loose, but remained collected. There was no saying what might happen if she lost herself in the stream.

Regularly, she could barely see due to the bright light. This time however, a powerful purple surrounded her, almost becoming black at some points.

 _What?_

Something was off about this. Why did everything change colours?

A moment later, a single sentence started to resonate within this place Homura thought of as the stream of time. It increased and decreased in volume but never in its tone. This gentle voice the time traveler would always recognize.

Hearing this wish again and again had what was her right now tear up, curling into a ball as to defend herself against the torture this was.

When the voice started to become faster and louder, Homura screamed.

But even then she could hear every word clearly. As if whatever entity there was wanted to engrave it in her memory.

"I wish for Homura-chan not to be alone anymore!"

Then, all of a sudden, it stopped.

Everything became white and her journey through time was over. Again.

Akemi Homura slowly blinked from unfocussed eyes and took in the merciful silence of her surroundings. Closing her eyes did not stop this one single tear from rolling down her cheek, though. Whatever this occurence was, it hit her hard.

Then she got a hold of herself and looked up at the ceiling with her usual determination.

However, another feeling had her freeze up before she could throw away the blanket as she usually did; someone was holding her in a firm grip. She could feel their arms around her waist.

 _What..._

Slowly, Homura turned around; only to come face to face with something she did not expect: another girl was lying by her side and had let go of her the moment she started to turn around.

On top of the fact that there was someone else in her bed, this girl blinked at her sleepily with her own purple eyes. She rubbed her hands over a face that was the same as Homura's, even the hair had the same colour. This girl was like a perfect copy of hers.

Then the other Homura looked at her drowsily and opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm hungry."


	2. I Can't Hurt Someone I Love

"I'm hungry."

This was all she said and Homura did not answer; they just continued to look at each other, one of them still sleepy and the other completely shocked.

A loud growl reinforced the previous statement after a while and the other girl slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her face for good this time. Then she looked down at the still motionless Homura and held out a hand to her. It was now that the time traveler noticed something else: the other girl was stark naked. She did not wear anything at all and this confused her even more. What exactly was going on?

After the initial shock died down however, the Magical Girl finally managed to move on her own, taking the hand as to not raise suspicion. This should not have happened.

 _But on the other hand... some timelines tended to be different. Could this be one where I have a twin?_

The theory was as good as any, even when this meant that she was far off from the changes that usually took place.

Her gaze was still fixed on this face that was hers as well, which was why it took a while to notice that this other girl did not wear braids or glasses; in fact, she looked like the person Homura would be as well in a few minutes. Being reminded of that though, she jumped out of bed and went to the adjacent bathroom, undoing her own braids on the way. While she walked, she could feel her twin's gaze fixed on her back.

"This makes no sense."

Whether the girl was talking about Homura's behaviour or something else, she did not know. However, it became clear with the next statement that had the Magical Girl freeze in place: "I should not be born yet."

Also, another growl filled the room shortly after. "And I'm hungry... feed me, Homura!"

When she turned around, the bed and the girl sitting on it were merely a blur. Right, her eyes needed to be fixed first, so the time traveler quickly held her Soul Gem to her eyes and had the magic repair what was never whole before and thus clearing up her field of vision. Just to see the other girl looking at her with a pitiful expression while holding her tummy that was growling again.

Now however, that girl's eyes were locked on the trinket in Homura's hands.

"What do you mean?"

She wanted to make her voice sound as expressionless as always, but the confusion broke through. If this meant what it sounded like...

The girl just tilted her head. "Is it so hard to understand? I'm hungry! As in 'I want to eat something!' "

This answer had her sigh in slowly building annoyance, so she motioned for a tray filled with hospital-food the nurses might have brought sooner this morning. "You may have that. But I want you to answer my question."

Upon seeing the food, this other girl's eyes went wide before narrowing. She turned her head back towards Homura and stood up completely. Her slender frame and complete lack of clothing did nothing to decrease the weight in her words. "What do you take me for? I won't eat that!"

Her voice did not really rise in volume, yet it felt as if it did. However, something else's volume did increase, namely the growling of the other girl's stomach.

Due to that and after alternately looking at Homura and the food a few times, she sat down with a defeated expression. "But it doesn't look like I have a choice."

What happened next was... strange and somewhat disturbing; this girl just gulped down everything there was without even chewing it. She just put it in her mouth and swallowed as if it was something liquid. Which -in fact- some of this food was, but it had Homura take a step back while her copy wiped away some crumbes from her mouth. Then she held her tummy again. "And I'm still hungry... but that should do for now."

She almost sounded sad about it, scanning her surroundings in an apparent search for something else to eat. That was until her eyes came to rest on Homura who was standing in the middle of the room, watching her with narrowed eyes She was still waiting for an answer and a suspicion slowly started to form in the back of her mind.

"Back to your question... I still wonder how it is possible. Your kind dies and mine is born, such is the cycle. We can't exist in the same time... time... no, even then..."

She looked down, watching her fingers, clenching them to a fist and relaxing them. "Now that I think about it... this body feels strange. So small... it has none of the colours it should have..."

Upon feeling a wave of magic in the room, she looked up again. Only to stare down the barrel of an assault rifle.

Homura's expression was one of disbelief and determination, but she did not care to keep it unreadable this time. After hearing this, she was sure it had to be a Witch she was looking at. And Witches had to die even when they did not appear hostile. Yet she did not shoot. There was still something else that was off, but she could not put her finger on it yet.

However, the Witch in question did not look disturbed or even upset by what had happened in the slightest. She just cocked an eyebrow. "That won't work. We are the same so you can't harm me and I can't harm you."

After a moment of consideration, she looked up at Homura. "Besides, do you really want to fire a rifle in a hospital?"

That, the time traveler realised, was indeed a bad idea. But even then, she had to make sure that this girl was telling the truth, had to find out whether she really could not harm her. So she returned the assault rifle into her shield and rummaged through it for a moment. Then a swift motion of her hand sent a Katana directly towards her copy's chest. This had been in her possession for a long time but she could never put it to good use. Now was no exception, though: the blade passed through the girl as if she was thin air.

"And before you get another wrong idea..."

With that, her hand was grabbed and pressed on a solid and warm chest. She could even feel a strong heartbeat beneath the flesh, although that particular fact was not that much of a surprise, considering that she was still naked.

 _So this is not just a characteristic of her body... I really can't hurt her..._

Homura slowly retracted her hand, put away the Katana and dispelled her Magical Girl-attire before sitting down next to the Witch that looked at her with curiosity. This was a bit too much, even for her. Just how could that have happened?

A sudden exclamation had her look up a few seconds later.

"That could be the explanation!"

Upon seeing Homura's gaze, she gave her a thoughtful stare. "I do possess a part of your memories. Since I have been born just minutes ago, I still have to adjust. But I can access those informations I have, maybe there will be more sometime soon... however... what I mean is that even Kyubey thought it was strange that Madoka's wish had no effect at all."

For the topic to change like this was unexpected, but Homura understood the thought behind it. She did not say anything, though. Instead she continued to listen.

"Soo... maybe Madoka made it a big wish and did not just... whatever, create you a brother or sister but broke the rules of the Magical Girls in allowing me to be born like this? Or maybe that was what all her potential went in... However, I don't think that I will be able to create minions or a barrier, at least not yet. I have a human form and neither of us can hurt the other. Since we're basically the same, we're closer than even twins are, don't you agree?"

They looked at each other, a curious and a cold gaze meeting. Even when all of this made sense in some way, it was a lot to take in. But even then, it sounded like something Madoka might have done.

Homura looked downwards. "Still, there is no reason for me to work with a Witch. Once Tomoe Mami or Miki Sayaka find out what you are, they will kill you and try to hunt me down as well."

The Magical Girl had already decided on what to do: she wanted to recreate the previous timeline and undo the very one mistake that brought her into this situation. If she could stay strong in this one moment of weakness, then it might...

"It's not going to work."

The sudden interruption had her look up again, this time being the one stared down. "Even when I am younger than you, I have a better understanding of time. And I know how you think. However, it won't work because Madoka learning of our past was not the cause, it just had an impact on the effect. If you do everything the same way, she will still become a Magical Girl in the end. The only thing changing will be the nature of her wish."

The expression on the Witch's face became a bit softer. "To save Kaname Madoka, you have to save Miki Sayaka, Tomoe Mami and Sakura Kyoko first. With all of them, it might be possible to destroy Walpurgis and thus make the actual cause for her contract disappear. And I can help you with that. Don't worry about them finding out, my strongest points are hiding and observing anyway."

Silence filled the room for a while, both of them looking at each other. Homura was still thinking about everything she had heard. Yes, it did make sense. But at the same time, why would a Witch want to help her?

She decided to voice this question as it was the most bothersome: "Why exactly do you want to help me?"

The Witch tilted her head. "Isn't that obvious? When Madoka's Witch is born, there is no world left for me to observe. And I as Mortal World's Witch have the duty to do just that. But then the easiest path of action would be to just kill Madoka... which I can't."

Upon hearing that, Homura's eyes narrowed. "And why would that be?"

The other girl placed a hand on her chest. "Because I inherited your memories of and feelings for her. I can't hurt someone I love."

In an expressionless manner, she stated what had Homura's cheeks heat up ever so slightly. The time traveler knew about her own feelings, yet choose to ignore them for the sake of success. That the Witch seemed to have them as well was... unexpected. Could Witches even feel something like love, seeing that they were born from despair?

She took another look at this girl sitting next to her and sighed.

"I guess it can't be helped. I won't antagonize you in any way... but should you dare to hurt Madoka in the slightest..."

"You just tell Tomoe Mami about me, I know. Even when I doubt that she could kill me... ah, but that doesn't matter right now. I'm still hungry."

With that, the Witch pointed at her Soul Gem. "May I have that?"

Upon hearing that, Homura covered her actual self with her hands in a protective manner. Did this girl really ask whether she could eat the gem?

"I didn't mean it like this. I can't hurt you, remember?"

At least that was what she claimed... but right now, she could at least give her the benefit of the doubt. Homura's hands slowly opened again while she continued to keep a close eye on the other girl that held out her hands. She gently took her Soul Gem and held it close to her eyes. "This is something convenient for you and me. I can't hurt you, but I can..."

She did not finish the sentence but placed her index finger on the actual gem. At the same time, Homura felt her mind become lighter when the small layer of darkness was pulled away from it. Her eyes went unfocussed for a moment and when she could see properly again, the Witch was holding her Soul Gem in one hand while looking at a small cloud of black smoke hovering over the other one. She wore a somewhat dreamy expression as it became more solid and formed a small, black orb.

"Thanks for the food..."

And then she ate the orb, chewing it while looking as if it was a delicacy. After she swallowed, the eldritch being raised her hands to her cheeks. "My, what a wonderful flavour... way better than this disgusting hospital food... sadness with a tinge of despair and hatred..."

While she was talking to herself, Homura slowly took the Soul Gem out of her hand and looked at it.

It was as bright as right after its creation.

With another sigh, she had the gem return to its ring form. This girl was weird in many ways, but this might just be a regular Witch's behaviour. Her ability of clearing up a Soul Gem brought an advantage, though. Even when Homura was not sure whether it was good to feed a Witch.

Also, she just noticed that there was something that should be adressed as well.

"What's your name?"

"Huh?"

The Witch looked up and met the Magical Girl's gaze again, then placed a finger on her chin in thought. "Let's see... I am Homulilly, Mortal World's Witch."

The strange name had the time traveler cock an eyebrow, yet she did not say anything about it. Especially when the Witch did that herself; "But I can't go around calling myself that... let's see..."

Her mumbling was not really quiet, so it was easy to overhear: "You are Homura, so I can't take the same first name... guess I have to take the last name then... which makes Lilly my first name in this case... now something that sounds Japanese and still like Lilly... alright!"

She looked up with a somewhat disturbing smile. "From now on, I am Akemi Yuri!"


	3. Wisdom Is Power After All

With a mixture of annoyance and confusion, Homura looked at what Lilly had done now.

A week passed since she was released from the hospital and starting next Monday, she would attend Mitakihara Middle School.

However, this first week of preparation had been far more exhausting than ever before. Partly because there was a human-shaped Witch clinging to her all the time, refusing to separate from her. Even when Lilly always denied that she liked Homura more than was normal, her actions said something different. The time traveler barely managed to convince her new protege that there was no need to bath together, but this was about the borderline of what the Witch accepted. She would refuse to sleep somewhere else, so Homura had to share her bed. Even when this was not exactly unpleasant, it did feel strange to have yourself snuggled up to you every night. Had this person been Madoka, she would not have minded one bit, but in this case...

"Are you spacing out?"

Lilly's voice pulled her back into reality, where her eyes were fixed on the papers she held. However she did it -she suspected Witch-powers -, Akemi Yuri would enroll at Mitakihara Middle School at the very same day and in the very same class as Akemi Homura would. So she would be a classmate of, a sister even to this creature that sat in front of her and nibbled on a pound of raw meat, sometimes biting larger chunks out of it.

Homulilly's eating habits were another mystery; she could eat about everything, but had to eat lots of it. When Homura asked her why she did not just prey on humans -partly due to her being suspicious about that fact-, she would not answer altogether. Instead, she continued to eat everything as it came, gulping down instant soup without water and the like. Somehow, it reminded her of Sakura Kyoko, yet this was even more extreme. And unhealthy, even when the Witch assured her of this practice being perfectly safe for her. Neither did it change the fact that seeing her doing it still made the Magical Girl feel uncomfortable.

When Homura asked why Lilly was eating this much, she was told that as her Witch, the other girl was stronger than the time traveler herself. On the other hand however, she needed far more energy to sustain herself. Seeing that this food held almost none, she needed much more of it than the average human.

However, Homura reasoned, this could be a sign of Lilly really being opposed to the idea of attacking humans. Which would affect how interaction with Tomoe Mami turned out to some extent. At least she hoped it to.

With a sigh, the papers were put down and the Witch got a nod. "I don't know how you did it and I'm sure I don't even want to know. Just be careful about Kyubey once they start to bring it there."

She got a smirk in return. "You don't need to worry. It didn't even notice our presence so far."

"Yes, because you ate it every time it came close to discovering us."

Apparently, the Incubator had given up on trying to contract Madoka at home after it lost its... maybe fifteenth body without any traces of it. Whenever it appeared, Homura shot it and Lilly ate it. Before the next body was there, the former vanished completely.

Even when seeing the Witch eating the little rat did creep Homura out, she could not deny that it had a tremendous effect; apparently, Kyubey gained information about its previous death by consuming the corpse of its former body. Disposing of it like this made the Incubator unable to retrieve this information. Especially when it could not gain any further intelligence due to both girls having time magic. They were identical to the last hair, which troubled Homura as well. She was both unused and opposed to the idea of being mistaken for someone else because of her looks. Of course she did not say that, but her "sister" seemed to have noticed and decided to make herself distinguishable from the time traveler by wearing her hair in a ponytail.

"So what? Kyubey has more energy than this stinking meat, so why would I not?"

"I didn't mean to criticize you. I was just stating a fact."

At that, Lilly cocked an eyebrow. It was the truth, though.

"I see. What are we doing today? More raiding the JDF? Hunting Witches?"

She was eager to do something, which was another contradiction: the Witch was as lively as always, yet insisted on gathering as much energy as possible, not caring for the fact that her enthusiasm consumed more of this energy than a more reserved behaviour would.

However, Homura shook her head at every suggestion and Lilly tilted her head slightly, showing signs of annoyance after a while. "What else are we going to do, then?"

"Shopping."

"Shopping?"

"Yes. You have been running around in my spare clothing for this last week, but I might need those myself. Therefore, you need your own clothes."

It was only a part of the truth; in fact, Homura preferred to have her clothes for herself, even when she would wear her school uniform most of the time. So she rather had the Witch have her own wardrobe.

"Hm..."

Lilly put a hand on her chin, thought about the statement and nodded a few moments later.

"If you say so, I don't mind. But wouldn't Kyubey have the opportunity to approach Madoka while we are out?"

Another shake of her head.

"I doubt that. It still doesn't know who is behind the attacks and thus, doesn't know we aren't watching. Besides, Madoka will be in the mall as well in the afternoon, so we won't be far away. Also, it doesn't try to approach her when so many people are around."

"And I doubt that she would believe anything it said when it waited in the girls' restroom or something like that", the Witch added with a snicker.

Homura still failed to understand how a being that should consist of despair and curses could be this cheerful and lively. At least she accepted not to continue wearing Homura's clothes.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

At first, she had been opposed to the idea. Not because she did not like shopping, but because of all the humans that would be around.

And now, she was still against it. All those beings around her emanated such a disgusting scent, full of falseness, greed, lust and the like. Humans stank and so did human emotions, however a Magical Girl or a Witch could smell and taste this different while having the very same feelings.

At this point however, Homulilly could not ponder any philosophical questions... or any questions at all. Almost every bit of her willpower was focussed on not letting on about her sickness influenced by those minor creatures around her.

She was a Witch and a strong one at that. But even then, her hand was clamped around Homura's who led her through the crowd and towards the right stores. Lilly was embarassed about how childish and vulnerable she was right now, but even then she could not snap out of it, no matter how much willpower she mustered up. The smell was just too much for her to take and even the large amount of parfume in the air could not overshadow it, it just added in to the disgusting experience the Witch had right now.

At least the first store was rather empty so that the Witch could breath more freely. It still stunk, but this was at least bearable and she could start to get this over with. Looking around, she took in the various styles of clothing that were displayed. Homura brought her here, so the least she could do was to keep her eyes open as well.

While scanning row after row of clothes, her most beloved abilities went to work: uUnderstanding and evolving.

With but a simple look, she could understand more than any human could. Seeing people interact sharpened her knowledge of Japanese customs, looking at how some older folks examined the cloth gave her an idea on how to distinguish between quality. And she put all this new knowledge to use at once.

Her feet carried her to an aisle that looked promising. She walked with her head held high and her arms crossed behind her back. That was, until she noticed a stare she was getting from one of the employees. Additional knowledge filled her mind and was categorized, then she relaxed her arms and had them hanging loosely by her side. Following her, Homura surely did notice, but refrained from saying anything. She disguised her curiousity well.

 _Maybe I should tell her about this ability... no, not yet. Wisdom is power after all._

Such was Homulilly's creed.

Also, she was still unsure on how the other girl would react if she was told about her fast learning or other capabilities for that matter. But she would tell her other half soon enough, maybe in a few more days. Maybe she would even get over her pride and tell the Magical Girl that she would never eat something as disgusting as a human... but then, could she show this kind of weakness?

The thought was discarded to be examined later on. For now, clothes were important and she stood right in front of something that catched her interest: a display of dresses in various colours and styles.

As she remained where she was, looking for something that fit her taste, Homura strolled around her and took a look at the prices. Again, information filled Lilly's mind. She completely forgot that they were moving on a rather small budget, so she could not just buy anything. She had to be moderate.

"It's affordable."

Being told that she could have one of those dresses had her sigh in relief, though. And that it was, at least for her who knew Homura. Most others would have taken this as an appeal to reconsider due to their limited amount of money.

But then, the sigh itself had her clamp up. She could not allow herself to be this loose with expressing herself. To cover it up, she started browsing through the aisle, taking in dress after dress.

Soon after, she found something appropriate and pulled it out to show it to her "twin": a rather plain, black dress.

Yes, of course it was black. Somehow, the colour reminded her of the shadowy places she loved and merely touching the fabric made her relax already.

"What do you think?"

The cloth was given a lookover and then nodded at. "If it suits you, I don't mind at all."

Dismissive answer, as expected. Though Lilly could not tell for sure whether Homura was okay with it or just did not care. Even when it was the latter though, it was to be expected, seeing in what kind of relationship they were right now.

Instead of thinking about it, the Witch turned around towards where she already spotted the changing cubicles before and started moving, Homura following suit. On the way there, they passed a few other sections where Lilly could take something else while still walking; she decided on a purple sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans. Also, Homura picked up a set of underwear, socks and thights. The Witch kept quiet about that. After all, their bodies were the same, so they did not need to take measurements for her first. Yet she found it to be a good sign that the Magical Girl was ready to help her.

However, there was a surprise waiting at the cubicles: a group of three girls stood at the first one. With a blunette actively complimenting a green-haired girl who wore an elaborate, red dress. The smaller pinkette next to them nodded enthusiastically while holding a paperbag in between her arms.

Homura stopped momentarily upon seeing the group, but continued walking as if nothing happened. The only one that might even have noticed was Lilly, though she did not expect them here, either.

Kaname Madoka, Miki Sayaka and Shizuki Hitomi. Two of the main actors on the stage that Mitakihara was to become as well as an important asset to the events that were to unfold.

When the two girls passed them, the group went silent and looked after them for a moment. Lilly could see it in one of the mirrors, so she turned around and bowed at them with a smile before hurrying after her "sister". The three bowed as well and continued talking about whatever, she did not really care, even when this was Madoka. Right now, she was focussed on clothes and her feelings were suppressed, though they raged on against her calm mind.

Homura, on the other hand, did care. Lilly could see her concentrate on listening in. Since her eyes had been this bad for so long, her hearing was naturally enhanced anyway. Also, due to her being a Magical Girl, she could enhance it even further. Therefore, it should not be a problem to eavesdrop on them. And while she thought about it, the only thing that might have interested the Witch was the content of this bag in Madoka's arms. However, prior knowledge told her that those were the red ribbons the pinkette wore later on. Today, the ribbons holding her pigtails were yellow as if to further prove her assessment. It was really nice to have a mind that worked this fast. And it was nice to steal glances at Madoka's beautiful pink hair.

 _Wait. Clothes._

While the other Akemi was busy, Lilly quickly went into the cubicle and undressed. After a moment of silent pondering, she decided to go with the regular clothes first. While she got changed, she took a few deep breaths, taking in the surprisingly sweet scent Madoka emanated. Kindness, mostly. Right now though, it was like heaven. Overshadowing even the disgusting scent of the other people around.

Actually, the pinkette was not the only one that had this kind of positive mixture; most small children did have it, too. However, almost all of them lost it during their adolescence.

The Witch found it a waste that human society made all of its inhabitants so disgusting. But maybe it had an upside as well: this way, she would not get tempted to actually start preying on humans.

As her mind reached that point and decided that questioning society was useless, she was done putting on the clothes she was interested in. Fortunately, there was a small mirror inside as well, so Lilly could take a look at herself. She did not even need Homura to confirm that those clothes fit perfectly, so she stripped down again and turned towards the dark fabric with a lot of anticipation.

When she put on the dress, the Witch relaxed at once. It felt so natural to wear it as if it had been made for her. Soft, black cloth gently caressed her arms and body, the grey hem slightly swishing around her calfs. It felt wonderful, like a second skin.

However, now Lilly had the urge to put on a hat to complete her look. Her actual body had a hat, she remembered. She liked hats. But she also liked Madoka and had managed to push that back. Wearing a hat would raise suspicion, so she suppressed the idea.

What she did not suppress was the urge to show off a bit. Especially with Madoka around, she wanted to try to gain her attention at least a little.

Therefore, she pulled back the curtains and stepped outside of the cubicle to look herself over in one of the larger mirrors, turning around to look at her back as well. Her pale skin was almost shining next to the black of the dress and the raven hair of hers complimented its dark colours even more.

While she stood there and turned around several times, her senses told her that people were watching. Just as she hoped, the three girls were the ones looking in their direction. They whispered amongst each other, it was almost cute how they tried not to be obvious about it and failed miserably. Especially Madoka's gaze sent a satisfying shiver over her skin, though she did her best to not let on about it. After a while however, it was time to get the judgement she wanted right now.

So Lilly's gaze went towards Homura, who nodded solemnly after giving her a lookover. "It suits you more than I expected at first."

While hearing this, her senses started tingling and Homura noticed it as well. They exchanged a glance and the Witch went back into the cubicle to change back into the clothes she borrowed from her "twin". When she reemerged, she handed over everything she had held before. "Would you mind going for the registers? I want to grab something to eat."

Of course no one would understand what she actually meant. Also, Lilly spotted Kyubey a few moments ago, the creature watching from one of the higher shelves. Apparently it was observing Madoka, but that was alright today. The Witch was not after the Incubator, but the Familiar that passed by not far away.

Once she left the store, another problem revealed itself, though: the air was full of this smell that had her almost buckle down in disgust. She completely forgot about it.

 _Crap..._

Quickly, Lilly went towards one of the walls to steady herself without raising too much attention. It said a lot about her situation that she fell back to regular curses.

Then, she got moving towards the second floor of the mall, circling around the Familiar's path. Gertrud would be around this place soon, but there was no trace of the Rose Garden Witch now. Just one of her former minions.

As the thought found its way into her conciousness, she stopped momentarily in wonder.

 _Wait... how do I even know her name already?_

She understood it a moment later: Familiars carried the individual scent of their Witch, conveying her name and title as well. However, only Lilly's senses could distinguish this. Other Witches were capable of that as well, but they did not care enough to do it. Also, none of the Magical Girls could, their senses were far too weak to do more than tell apart "Witch" and "no Witch".

Unfortunately, she could not just do as she pleased. As she had a human body, even when it was stronger than that of a regular human, she was weaker than she would be in her own, eldritch body. Additionally, she could not move in the open lest someone or _something_ realised she was there, which would be a small catastrophe.

No, Homulilly had to hide within the shadows, waiting for prey she actually wanted to eat. Simply put, Witches. She had to wait for Homura to kill a Witch or hunt one herself, the former taking longer than she liked and the latter being a risk every time she did it. Once Lilly was on the hunt, everyone around could identify her as a Witch.

As was to happen in a few seconds, seeing that the Familiar was coming her way; there was no way way it could suspect the fate it was to face. Apparently, it found her a worthy meal, seeing that reality became distorted around her.

 _How ironic. We both thought the same._

Before the small barrier had even opened completely, she used a small amount of her energy to kickstart the whole process that would let the former minion see its end, freezing time for but a second. It was enough to get started without being noticed.

A single heartbeat resounded in the void, filling her with her eldritch powers. The flow of now released energy easily sustained the time stop for more than the initial second and the Witch started walking towards the cotton ball with the mustache, sitting there with its clippers like a statue. Her appearance did not change. And why would it? She was the Witch, no matter how she looked like.

Lilly got a firm grip on its arm and thus, pulled it into motion again. However, upon feeling her aura emanating freely, the Familiar tried to get away from her the moment it could move. It itself had been radiating anxiety towards its first meal up until right now. That instant, it changed into fear.

"My, aren't you a bit pushy?"

She yanked back her arm and had the cotton ball fly back towards her, even when it tried to escape with all its might.

Lilly had merely taken the power of a single heartbeat, yet this was more than enough for a being as simple as this. It was far too terrified of this malicious aura of hers to even think about attacking, apparently. It used every bit of power to break free from her iron grip.

Unfortunately for it, Mortal World's Witch did not like to play with her meals.

"Thanks for the food..."

And the Familiar started to scream the moment she sunk her teeth into its cotton body.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When Homura left the store, Lilly was nowhere in sight. However, she felt the Familiar vanishing in this exact moment. So it could not take her much longer to come back.

With an inaudible sigh, the Magical Girl sat down on one of the benches while keeping the bag with the clothes close to her. Somehow, this had been an adventure in itself when it would have been a regular Saturday for every other being. Except for the Familiar, maybe.

Homura discarded the thought and kept observing her surroundings. That was why she noticed Madoka's group leaving the store a while after her. And in difference to them before, she was not obvious about watching them, though it took some willpower to not just keep her eyes on Madoka's back and dream of the past. Once the girls were out of sight, the Magical Girl returned to her impassive demeanor.

By now however, she started to wonder where Lilly was. Tomoe Mami was not around, that was for sure, so no one should have intercepted her.

This was a good time, Homura realised, to review everything she knew and to sort out what to do from now on.

After all, Lilly had not given her much information about herself. She ate and ate and ate to keep a level of energy that did not leave her defenseless upon being attacked. What she ate did not matter at all, she could just swallow it. The only things Homura saw her Witch chew was one of the Grief Seeds she obtained by hunting. Even when she no longer needed them, the time traveler could not completely rely on her "sister". Additionally, the less Witches crept around the city, the less Madoka might stumble over them and get involved.

However, Lilly killed one of those Witches herself and thus earned the reward. How she did it made Homura think, though; she did not transform in any way but from one second to the next, the time traveler could actually feel her being the eldritch creature she was. And so did the being Lilly was after, an art-Witch that went by the name of Izabel. At least that was what the Magical Girl was told later on.

Seeing that the Witch the experienced Magical Girl knew so well could not move, she tried to send her minions after the two, only for Lilly to spit purple fire at them. And that was all she needed: the flames spread incredibly fast and engulfed the whole barrier in about twenty minutes, burning everything from the distorted pieces of art that the ground consisted of to the arc that was Izabel. Everything burned to ashes except for Homura and Homulilly. Another prove of them being immune to each other, though the other girl seemed to be immune to her own magic as well.

As the Witch told her later, this fire reacted violently to anything magic-related, but did not harm anything else. So she could spit it on a regular human all day without any effect at all. When asked about her additional abilities, she would shut up and start eating the grief seed. Peeling the outer layer of metal off bit by bit, eating it with an enraptured expression that became more dreamlike when she munched on the Seed's core. And after her feast, she fell asleep.

This sudden changes in her character confused Homura. Sometimes, Lilly reacted just like the time traveler did, but followed this kind of reaction with an utterly childish or outright arrogant one. However, the childishness had withered away over the past week while the arrogance increased. Still, the Witch acted like any normal fourteen-year-old girl once in a while, like cracking jokes or worrying over her looks. Yet she only did it in Homura's presence and when nobody else was around.

The Magical Girl had her own theory by now: due to this completely unusual situation, Homulilly had not developed as she should have and thus, was still in the process of building her personality. So if she was right, what she was left off with right now was a pubescent Witch with a colossal appetite and mostly unknown abilities.

Madoka did make better wishes in the past for sure.

Regarding the unknown abilities, Homura reasoned, time stop and this flames might be everything at Lilly's disposal like she herself only had her small beam attack. It did sound like the kind of empowerment the ability would get after her transformation.

But since all of this was just speculation, the Magical Girl leaned back and discarded the thoughts for now. She did not like what her Witch said the previous week; that she had to ensure all of the other Magical Girls' safety in order to save Madoka. She could not even save Madoka alone, so how should she watch over the others?

But then again, another of Lilly's statements resonated in her mind: "Don't worry too much. I'm here to help you this time around. Just give me some time to adapt and then I will come up with something."

Of all things, this being had to be an optimist. And on Homura's neglection that she would work alone, the Witch merely smirked. "I am you, so basically you are only working with yourself. Argument invalid."

Thinking back, she grudgingly had to agree with her. There was no way to get away from her anyway. If she could kill Lilly, the situation might be different. But like this, all she could do was to accept her as an ally and keep her away from trouble. Up until now, it had worked well. But going by her knowledge of this city, it would not stay this good.

Homura flinched ever so slightly when cold metal was held to her cheek. Her eyes focussed and she saw that her "sister" had finally returned, holding a can of tea out to her. She wore a satisfied expression and sat down next to her once she had taken the drink. "Spacing out like this is unusual for you."

"Indeed it is. What took you so long?"

"Coming back." The other girl grimaced and shook her head while saying it. "There are too many people around."

So this had been it. For whatever reason, the Witch reacted badly to large crowds. She should ask for it someday since mere shyness was definitely not the problem.

While the time traveler took a sip from the tea, she kept her gaze fixed on the being sitting next to her. As long as she did not use her magic, there was absolutely nothing that indicated her as anything but a human being. No Grief Seed in her hand, nothing. While she thought about it...

"Say, Yuri..."

"Hm?"

When she looked up from her own drink, she noticed Homura carefully scanning the crowd before continuing. "I wondered where your Grief Seed is. Surely you would have one?"

The question had Lilly cock an eyebrow, but she answered: "It's a part of my heart. But even if one could actually hit its exact position, it would not be damaged. I share the regenerative abilities of your kin, but my Grief Seed is far more durable than a Soul Gem."

"I see."

She did not want to think about how the Witch tested her regenerative abilities as to make this statement. But knowing that she could not be killed that easily was somewhat of a relief. On the other hand... why did she feel that way?

They sat there in silence for a while, taking sips from their drinks. Once Homura was finished, she tossed the can into a nearby trashcan with Lilly doing the same soon after. Right now, she was satisfied with having gotten something out of her usually unresponsive partner.

"Shall we get going?"

A simple nod from the Witch had the two girls head home. And Homura was still wondering why it felt so natural to be with her. Maybe it really was because they were the same. Lilly understood what nobody else could. The pain of time travel, meeting her beloved friend time and time again without being recognized. Knowing events that were yet to unfold.

While walking, she stole a single glance at her newfound sister. Even when she was a Witch, they would get along. They shared the same goal. So maybe, maybe there was hope.

This time, she... no, they would succeed.


	4. You Should Stay True To Those Words

Sunday evening was everything but calm. Originally, Homura had planned to use it for the creation of more pipe bombs, but since Lilly was restless the whole day, she offered to help her and was quite competent when she was allowed to. This way, they used up the materials way faster than the time traveler was used to and thus, neither of them had anything to do. It was around nine, so Madoka should go to bed soon. There was no reason to check on her at this time, especially when Lilly had done so just an hour ago- and ate another three Kyubeys.

Right now, the Witch was pacing through the spacious living room, bopping her head against the pendulum at the ceiling from time to time for no reason. She strode around the various couches, glancing at the map on the table once in a while. Even when it looked more like boredom, Homura became more capable in reading her body language and knew that she was nervous. Though it had been rather easy to understand once she realised she had to look for the signs she herself displayed. This slight movement of Lilly's jaw, the fingers that unconciously moved to twindle her hair but were forced back almost instantly. Those were just small signs, but Homura knew them well. Therefore, she could now understand the Witch at least a little better. She inherited not only her memories and body, but also her antics.

However, even the stoic Homura was getting annoyed by someone wandering around all the time at this point, but there was not really anything she could do. Even then, it was reassuring that even a being like her could be nervous about her first day at school.

While she thought this, her "sister" stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, then went for the door. "I'm going out for a while. I should be back around half past ten, though."

The statement had Homura cock an eyebrow. "And where exactly are you going?"

The Witch shrugged while continuing to walk. "Checking up on Madoka again, looking for interesting information, maybe hunting a Familiar or two."

Lilly paused for a moment over hearing her next question: "Why are you only hunting Familiars when there are Witches around?"

In response, she turned around and showed her a devious smile. "Not even Kyubey believes a Familiar to be a valuable resource except if it's fed. Were I to kill Witches, Tomoe Mami would notice. She might wonder why some Familiars are simply vanishing, but not question it that much. Less work for her, after all. How should she know that I'm gaining quite a lot from eating them?"

"While we're at it...", Homura continued the questioning, now with real interest, "how much energy do you have by now? You have been eating ever since you were born."

The smile became brighter now. "Let's see... with what I have, I should be able to take on Tomoe even without using time magic. I would be burned out afterwards, but I could defeat her fair and square."

While she turned around to leave, she added something that had Homura cringe on the inside: "Not that I _would_ fight her like this, though."

With that, she was out of the door and left the Magical Girl wondering just why again she did not despise this girl. Maybe it really was because they were similar.

 **. . .**

Just outside the door, Lilly went with a purposeful stride. She wanted to experiment with something Homura did not need to know about yet. Besides the point that it would be embarassing to be seen failing. That was definitely not her main intention, though. Really.

Illuminated only by the light of the moon and the occasional streetlamp, her feet led her towards a mostly abandoned area not too far away from home. On her way, the people she encountered either did not notice or did not care about her. It made no difference anyway because none of them was likely to recognize her.

This was a part of the construction site, although it was not yet and would not be teared down within the next two months. Bureaucracy was slow.

After looking around for a few minutes, she found a good place: an alleyway with a lot of rubble lying around in it. Humans were barely able to see in here and even her enhanced senses could not deliver much more information. Just that it did not stink, so there were no humans around and had not been for a while. Now to the difficult part, namely experimenting with something she thought she was capable of but not how to make it happen.

 _I should know how to do it... but even then..._  
She decided that a single heartbeat worth of power was more than enough to practice for a while. Not enough for Homura back at their flat to notice or to tip Mami and Kyubey off, either. And this time, she would rather use it all up instead of swallowing two thirds of it back down like last Friday.

When there was one thing about this body Homulilly hated with a passion, than it was that she could not mobilise as much energy as she wanted, but had to release a set amount. This was one of the downsides of her Grief Seed being a part of her heart: a heartbeat that released magic would always release the same amount. And when there was something left after she was done, she had to either keep it active -which made her detectable-, discard it -which was a waste- or swallow it again. And even when the last of those options was the best, it was also nauseous. If she had to explain it to a human, she might compare it to eating one's own vomit. The mere thought made her shudder.

However, before the memory of this disgusting taste that was even worse than a human crowd could make her empty her stomach in this street, she focussed on the task at hand.

Slowly, Lilly went towards a small stone about the size of an eye and picked it up. Then, she let her magic flow and concentrated. Unfortunately for her though, she underestimated the force of her mind; instead of slowly rising from her hand, the stone shot into the sky like a bullet, far out of her sight. It happened so fast and unexpected that she lost her grasp on the little thing due to the surprise.

 _Great..._

While mumbling something inaudible about plans and reality, she took a few steps back and hid in an entranceway until the impromptu projectile came back down, almost right where she had it shoot upwards. In hitting the surface, it cracked the ground and shattered in the process. Once again, the Witch looked upwards.

 _Just how high have I thrown it?_

Even when she would never know the answer, she had noticed that she lost her grip also because of the sudden increase in magical power she needed to hold on to the stone. Since she only provided a small amount, the connection was lost. This gave her an interesting insight: the farther away something she wanted to grab with her mind was, the more magic she needed to sustain said grip.

 _Hm..._

Lilly decided to take a larger stone and used less power while focussing on it. At first, it did not want to budge, but a slight increase in the energy she used had it lift off from the ground at last. Slower than she actually wanted, but this was better than another unwanted projectile.

She would need to practice a lot more if she wanted to make the best out of this ability. For now, she had the boulder hover in place, then slowly moved it around. While she did the latter, she noticed that it was shaking and slightly lost or gained altitude, so she tried to strenghten her grip. Apparently, that needed adjustment as well; once she applied more force, the boulder cracked and shattered into a lot of pieces that fell to the ground. The sudden change of the object had confused her.

Dust rose and engulfed the Witch as well. She coughed and went out of the cloud, then turned around and assessed how much energy she had left while brushing the dust off her clothes.

 _Enough for another try..._

She had not been efficiently using her magic these past few minutes, but that would come later. First, she had to learn. Unfortunately, her beloved ability could not help her with something no data existed on. It tipped her off about maybe being capable to do this while browsing through an article about science, though. A single sentence sparked the idea:

Time and Space are practically the same.

She could manipulate time, so if this was true, she should be able to manipulate space as well. And as she just proved: The ability was there. Maybe even Homura could do it, but Lilly highly doubted that. As her Witch, her magic was further developed than that of a Magical Girl could be. Even Akemi Homura, who achieved more than any girl before her. That was mostly because a Magical Girl was a human that used magic while a Witch was a being of magic, though.

 _Enough philosophy... back to work._

A slightly smaller boulder than the last one rose up and went on a journey towards the second floor of this building in front of her. She had it stop right in front of a window without glass, then fly in the other direction back to where it started. Before hitting the ground, it changed direction and began swooping towards a larger pile of rubble, crashing into and obliterating some of it. The rest fell in place of what was now mostly debris while loud rustling filled the air. Another cloud of dust rose, but she was out of its range this time.

 _Maybe not my smartest move, but whatever. There's no one here anyway._

She learned fast. Though the whole crash had been due to her magic running out a second before she could stop the boulder, it felt pleasant to just use brute force on something. This was a strange thing anyway, a being that preferred hiding and observing liked to be brutal. Maybe this was because she could act freely in those seconds of pure force and did not need to act in a certain pattern to remain unnoticed... yes, she liked to be free.

Unfortunately, Lilly had no watch. So she just hoped her little adventure did not take too much time and started walking back, shaking her head as to get rid of the dust that was still in her hair.

 _Maybe I should have used my hands to direct the power..._

She would experiment with that some other time. For now, she just needed to get home, maybe take a bath and go to sleep. At least the anxiety went away. Not that she was anxious before, though.

 **. . .**

 **.**

First Act: Start

 **.**

 **. . .**

The tiles on the floor had a nice, bright colour, she noticed. Right now, she was following her "sister" towards their classroom and she used the time to gather as much information as possible. After all, parts of her memory were still fuzzy and she needed to close the gaps quickly.

So while she looked around, noted the walls made of glass and the classes that were starting right now, Homulilly successfully suppressed the urge to vomit. The students here did not stink that badly like the people in the streets, but it was still gross. She thought about acting shy to avoid them, but that wouldn't work in the long run. She was anything but shy and not that good of an actress to fool so many people.

While the two girls came to a stop in the hallway, the ranting of their new homeroom-teacher could be heard even outside of the classroom they stood in front of. Though this might also be because of their enhanced hearing.

Suddenly, Homura broke the silence. "We should have about two minutes until she calls us in."

"Alright, Onee-chan!"

After a short discussion, they had decided on Homura being the older twin, just in case someone asked. And Lilly would definitely tease her with that, but not right now. At least... not more than she already did.

"Alright then. Today, two new students will join us", the teacher's voice carried through the glass, now with a somewhat happy note that had not been there a few seconds ago. "Come on in, both of you!"

They exchanged a glance, Lilly somehow managing to suppress her smirk. While both girls began to walk, she started to show the same distant expression Homura already wore, just a little softer by having the corners of her mouth point upwards.

When they walked in, the whole class was looking at them. This in itself was against Lilly's nature, seeing that she used to hide and observe unnoticed. Yet she managed not to give in to the urge to shy away from them. Especially since she was **not** shy.

Murmuring started, she could make out some girls gushing over how beautiful they were and an overall air of surprise and admiration filled the room. It could have been a worse smell, so she would not complain. Besides, Lilly noticed Madoka and her friends looking at them in surprise, apparently recognizing the two girls from last Friday.

"It is unusual to put siblings in the same class, but the school made an exception for these two since they were hospitalized for a long time."

After the short explanation by Saotome, Homura started to introduce herself. "My name is Akemi Homura. I am looking forward to working with you."

While the teacher wrote down their names, Lilly took over. "And my name is Akemi Yuri. I hope that we will get along."

Both girls bowed while most of the class looked at them in stunned silence. There they stood, two mysterious beauties, distinguishable only by one of them wearing her hair in a ponytail, so this was to be expected. Lilly noticed that her "sister" was starting to focus her gaze on Madoka; however, she stopped when the Witch slightly tapped her feet without anyone noticing.

"Well, let's see... there is a free seat next to Nakazawa-kun and one behind Kaname-chan, so feel free to choose."

The brunette woman looked at them with a smile while the two girls exchanged a glance without saying anything. The class watched in amazement as they nodded at each other and got moving.

What looked like communication without words was actually just them having agreed on what to do beforehand, though: Homura would take her usual seat and Lilly was to take whatever was available.

Then, class started and while she was attentive at first, it did not take long for her to get bored. She understood all of this with the first explanation, there was no need for examples or the like. Though all those humans around apparently needed them. Badly, that was in some cases.

The true horror came with lunchbreak, though; small crowds of girls formed around both Homura and her, asking a lot of useless questions about where she lived before and... and... what shampoo she used?!

Lilly was used to humans being stupid, but this... why would you even ask someone about their shampoo? At this point, the Witch really pondered kissing all of those girls for a few precious seconds, then suppressed the thought. First, this was a bad idea when Tomoe Mami was not that far away. Second, she had a human body, so a kiss was an actual kiss. And she doubted that especially Japanese people would just let her get away with kissing them.

 _I should remember to test whether I actually can control people with my kiss._

She highly doubted it and after a while of sometimes answering those stupid questions, she sighed and put a hand on her forehead. "Sorry, I'm feeling a little dizzy. I should get to the infirmary to take my medicine."

One of those girls offered to walk her there, but Lilly shook her head. "I appreciate the thought, but this should be left to the person in charge."

While Homura apparently said something along the same lines and rose, Lilly was closer, so she bowed at the pinkette that had been stealing glances at her "sister" all the time. "You are Kaname-san, right? The class-list said that you're the health-representative, so would you mind bringing my sister and me to the infirmary?"

While she asked, Homura had been closing in on them and now stood patiently behind Madoka, who seemed not to have noticed her yet. She was nodding at Lilly. "Of course. Um... please follow me, then."

Lilly had the same stony expression, so even when her voice had contained at least some warmth, it upset her new classmate. Knowing that made her cringe on the inside. She did not want to upset Madoka, not at all. But there was nothing she could do about it, this was her nature. Though she would not mind changing it if it was for the girl she loved. However, Lilly could not do that before the pinkette was saved from her fate.

Then, when said pinkette turned around and had the same purple eyes meet her gaze again, she almost jumped.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there... Akemi-san..."

Homura nodded slightly and took a step aside to let Madoka pass. Once the smaller girl took the lead, they followed her out of the classroom.

While walking, Lilly started to giggle quietly. "You know, it would be confusing if you called both of us 'Akemi-san', so you should just use our first names."

She got a surprised stare at her words. "Um... so... Yuri-chan and... Homura-chan?"

Her "sister" nodded again. "What is it?"

They were currently walking behind Madoka, so only the Witch could see the other girl's expression become sad for a moment. She bit her lip and suppressed it quickly, though. Apparently, the loop took effect once again and in this moment, she was glad that her memory was still incomplete.

"Well... I just thought that your name sounds really cool... soo... ah, the infirmary is this way."

She went around a corner and the twins followed, exchanging a glance. Lilly shook her head somewhat violently, but Homura's stare had her give in. It would not change the outcome that much anyway.

Both of them stopped and so did Madoka after realising that they were not following her anymore. She turned around and looked at them in concern. "Is something wrong? Um... Do you feel sick?"

In response, Lilly shook her head while Homura started: "Kaname Madoka, do you value your current way of life? Your family and your friends... do you think dearly of them?"

At first, the other girl was at a loss for words, staring at them wide-eyed.

"Um... I... I do... my family and friends, I love them. They mean a lot to me."

She even started smiling at the end and so did the Witch while placing a hand on her "sister's" shoulder, stopping her from replying. "That's good then. You should stay true to those words."

Again this confused look, but now it was directed at her instead. She wanted to tell that girl what was going on, but she must not. And with that knowledge, the Witch fought back the urge and suppressed it.

"Um... what do you mean with that?"

She kept her grasp on Homura and continued: "Strange things will start to happen soon and people that are not what they seem will try to lure you into events you should not take part in."

"Huh...?"

By now, Lilly's smile had vanished again. Homura on her part freed herself of the grip and went past Madoka. "If what you just said is true, then stay the way you are. This will be enough."

The Witch nodded and started moving as well. "But just in case..."

While she went past the pinkette, she placed a piece of paper in her hand. "If something strange happens or you want to talk to someone."

She had prepared this just in case, writing down both the numbers of their phone at home and Homura's cellphone. Then, she bowed slightly and headed off, leaving a stunned Madoka behind.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

In the afternoon, a group of three girls sat in the mall to eat, listening to their friend's tale while they did.

After Madoka finished speaking, the other two looked at her, thoughtful green and angry blue both fixed on her.

"I can't believe it! Who do they think they are?!"

Sayaka underlined her statement by pounding her head on her arms that were lying on the table. "Is this mysterious stuff what they think is cool!?"

The other girl still pondered what she had been told. After a few seconds of no one really answering, the blunette looked up from her arms somewhat curiously and spoke in a much calmer way than before: "What do you think, Hitomi?"

"Hm... while this is certainly strange, they really might be worried about you, Madoka-san. Did anything happen as of late?"

To that, the smallest of the group slowly shook her head. "Sorry, Hitomi-chan. There was nothing I would call strange or even unusual..."

When Madoka was honest with herself, she was confused to no end. On top of that, Homura's gaze somewhat scared her due to the intensity she thought she felt behind it. She looked so cold, yet went out of her way to warn her about whatever this was. And while her twin's presence was a bit less overwhelming, the pinkette felt uneasy especially when Yuri was around. Something about her was odd, but she could not put her finger on it. She just did not feel _right_.

That was why she looked up from her fingers. "Say, have you noticed something weird about Yuri-chan?"

""Hm?""

Both of her friends looked at her, then at each other. Sayaka shrugged. "You mean except for what she said to you? Nope, nothing."

"Neither did I. Why would you ask something like this, Madoka-san?"

She giggled sheepishly while looking down again. "I don't know, something about her is just... not right. I don't know how to describe it, though..."

Hitomi waved it off with a smile. "Maybe she is a type of person you have never seen before, so you do not know what to think of her yet."

To that, Madoka slightly nodded. "Now that you mention it... I really have never met someone like her before... and no one like Homura-chan, either..."

So this might really be it.

"Oi, Madoka...", her athletic friend called out to her, looking somewhat mischievous. "Knowing them for a few hours and already calling them by their first names? Could this be romance? And two of them at once, you naughty girl..."

Madoka felt her cheeks flush violently and shook her head furiously. "It's not like this, Sayaka-chan! Really!"

Before the blunette could make it worse, Hitomi politely coughed to gain their attention. "This is not an anime, Sayaka-san. Something like this does not happen in real life."

Now her expression became far more serious. "Besidesof that, two girls can not love each other. That would be..."

Her eyes fell on a nearby clock and she did not finish the sentence. "My, look how late it is already. I have to leave now."

As she gathered her belongings, Sayaka continued on those lines: "What it is today? Japanese dance class?"

The well-mannered girl slightly shook her head. "No, just tea ceremony. But it really is bothering, especially with exams coming up soon..."

"Phew, I'm glad that my parents aren't rich...", the blunette added in. Then, the other girls got up as well.

They parted at the escalator. Madoka and Sayaka went to the music store now without any words said. The pinkette knew her friend wanted to come here and she did not mind. After all, this way she had an excuse to browse through the music as well. Especially a few singles of this one group sounded interesting. Dark, but full of hope or... at least something like that. Not what she usually heard, but Colorful and Magia really had something on them. As she thought about it a bit more, she realized that the feeling of hearing these songs was similar to that of being around the Akemi-twins. It was a bit scary and mysterious.

However, when she pondered which one to buy, a high-pitched voice called out in her head:

 _'Help me!'_

Startled, Madoka looked around but did not see anything that voice could have come from. Nothing else happened, either and the call for help did not come again.

 _Maybe that was just my imagination..._  
Then, Akemi Yuri's words from this morning came back; strange things would start to happen.

 _Is this what she meant?_

The music was forgotten as Madoka pondered what to do. Either believing this to be a strange occurence and asking the twins about it or not saying anything to anyone. If this was just her mind playing tricks on her, she would embarass herself a lot. But if it really was as dangerous as Yuri said?

 _What should I do..._

Sayaka came to mind, but she would definitely just make fun of her. So that was not an option.

For a while, the pinkette stood in front of the shelfs without doing anything but thinking. She was curious about what that was, if it was real. But besides its initial call, it had not said anything. She could not search for it even if she wanted.

In the end, Madoka decided to at least ask someone who might know more, so she quickly waved her cellphone at Sayaka, indicating that she had to make a call and for her not to worry. Once the blunette noticed and nodded at her, she left the store and took a few steps to the side to have some space.

 _Where did I put it..._  
After rummaging through her bag for a few seconds, she found the note she had been given earlier this day. For a moment, the girl wondered why only Homura's cellphone number was written down, then discarded the thought. She could ask about that later.

First, she dialed the number of the Akemi-residence. At this time of the day, someone should be at home. However, no one answered the phone and after letting it ring for a minute, she hung up and dialed the other number. This time however, it took about five seconds until she got a response:

"Akemi speaking."

"Um..."

She did not know what to say at first, calling out of the blue like this. But on the other end, her voice apparently had been recognised. "Kaname Madoka?"  
"H-Homura-chan?"

She supposed that was Homura, seeing that Yuri referred to her as 'Kaname-san'. But on the other hand... how did she recognise her by but a single noise she made?

"How may I help you?"

"Huh... um... you see, about what your sister said earlier..."

Madoka still did not know how to adress this topic. Would it not sound strange to say 'There was a strange voice talking to me in my head, did you mean that with "weird things"?'

However, Homura seemed to catch onto that at once.

"I see. What exactly happened?"

For a moment, the pinkette thought about what to say while leaning back against the wall, her upper body slightly bowed and her free hand playing with the hem of her skirt.

"A strange voice called out to me, asking for help. But only once and I couldn't see where it came from... you... did mean something like that this morning, right?"

No reply. Then a sigh. "Yes. Please do not follow this voice, even if it is to call out to you again. Where are you right now?"

"At the mall, on the second floor in front of the music store. Why would you ask?"

"I will come over there to sort things out, then. Yuri should be around already. You should keep your eyes open for her."

That was... surprising. She did really not expect a reaction like this.

"O-Okay. Thank you for your concern, Homura-chan."

"There is no need to thank me, but I appreciate it."

Then, she hung up and Madoka slowly lowered her arm to look at the screen.

What exactly had happened right now?


	5. Kyubey Is At Fault For This

When Homura pushed the red button, she disspelled her Magical Girl-attire as well. Madoka could not know that she and Lilly had been in the mall already, thus her surprise. Unfortunately, Kyubey had gotten one message through. The time traveler missed it once.

All the other times, the Incubator had not existed long enough to call for help. Either Homura shot it with a clean hit or Lilly ate it. Though the Witch did that with every of its bodies and kept out of sight for the remainder of the time. Kyubey might not even have noticed her, though both of them doubted that.

It was about time to leave this place. The rat had not come back and from what she just heard, it had not tried to talk to Madoka directly, either. Which was a relief.

 _But why is this going so smoothly?_  
Something about this was wrong. It never was this easy.

With measured steps, the raven-haired girl started walking. She had to get out of this area before the staff of the mall found her.

While she was on her way, Homura thought about everything that happened in these past ten days. She was living together with a Witch. With her own Witch.

It was a paradox, that was for sure. Madoka's wish crossed the boundaries of reason and made something that the time traveler did not understand why she did it. Why would she do something as to create her own persona again, but in its final form?

 _Could it be..._

Knowing Madoka, she might have understood something Homura never actually stated. Something elemental about herself that had become the core of her mentality.

The original Akemi Homura was no more, gone in all the tragedies and atrocities. What was once her became stronger and formed the being that is now called Akemi Homura, with a will of iron and a heart of ice. She knew that. However, sometimes when she was around Madoka, her old self could break through. It was still there, a small spark of humanity. And this posed a problem.

Because even when Homura had come to terms with what she had become, she hated her former self with a passion. Hated what she once was for what she was: weak.

But never before had anyone understood this, not even the gentle pinkette. Lilly, however, did. Since they were basically the same person, there was someone who understood her in full for the very first time. Apparently, this was also the reason for her accepting the Witch to some extent.

 _I vowed not to rely on anyone anymore... so I would turn down every being except for myself... Madoka, you..._

Once again, her friend had done so much for her and she did not even realise it at first. And again, Homura failed to save her. So for this time, she as well as her Witch would succeed.

However, the conditions Lilly named would make this more difficult than anything she had tried ever before. All of the other Magical Girls had to survive. And on top of that, they must not learn about her twin being a Witch. If they did, at least two out of three would snap and start a coursing where they might very well end up being the prey.

Of course, this meant to be even more cautious. Lilly could only be by her side in public or with time stop being active. Otherwise, she would be noticed in the end and by now, Homura suspected that Kyubey kept an eye on her anyway to scout.

A sigh escaped the girl while she reached for the handle of the door, but as she felt another presence nearby, she stopped. There were two, to be exact. One of them was a Witch, most likely the creature of the rose garden. The other one was easily recognizable and far more concerning, so Homura turned around as she heard the footsteps.

A blonde was coming her way, looking somewhat displeased and with Kyubey sitting on her shoulder. She stood upright and looked right back at the time traveler, but Homura could not see open hostility in her posture. Not yet.

Once Tomoe Mami was close enough to not have to shout, she started to talk: "While I do not mind sharing my territory, I prefer being asked about it beforehand. It is well known that Mitakihara is mine, so why would you just come here, Akemi Homura-san?"

With slight annoyance, she flicked her hair and thought about what to reply. Normally, she would just answer rejectively and be done with it, but Lilly had made it a given that Tomoe needed to survive. So when this was to happen, she had to get along with her somehow. That was why she decided to try a somewhat different approach, measuring the well-endowed blonde proficiently.

"I will be honest: I have not come to take this territory and neither do I wish to fight with you over resources. There is something I have to do and once this is done, I will leave. In the meantime however, I do not wish to become your enemy, Tomoe Mami."

"Oho", the other girl replied with a disbelieving smile. "What business do you have in this city, then?"

Homura weighed her options; telling a part of the truth would tip off Kyubey. Besides, Mami would most likely not believe her. So instead...

"I don't trust you. Therefore, I won't tell you now, but I might do so in the future if we get along."

She received a measuring look and the older girl crossed her arms in front of her chest. "That's a lot to ask from me, you know? I don't know or trust you, either, so why should I allow you to do whatever you want in this city without even knowing why?"

She knew that stance, this slight furrowing of the blonde's eyebrows. Tomoe Mami became antagonized by her behaviour and it would not take much longer until that changed into hostility.

After all this time of working around or against her, Homura felt strange trying to get on her good side now. But she had an advantage, which was enough knowledge to get this done the right way. At least if she played her cards right, that was. And fortunately, a looming presence made itself noticeable in the distance again, making Mami turn her head. This she would use.

"May I make a proposal?"

The girl turned back to her while raising an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Homura nodded and then motioned in the direction of the Witch who's presence both of them could feel. "Originally, I wanted to leave this Witch for you to kill, but as it stands, we could kill it together. As a means to get familiar with each other."

While she spoke, Mami's other eyebrow had risen as well. Now, she stood there and thought about it. While she did, Kyubey's soulless stare was focussed on the time traveler and the creature hopped off of the other girl's shoulder, getting a surprised look in the process. It walked towards where she stood and gave her a closer look. Then, its high-pitched voice filled Homura's head: _'I do wonder, though. I have no memories of forming a contract with you. Would you mind telling me what your wish was about and why I forgot about it, Akemi Homura?'_

She flicked her hair yet again and gave the creature a cold stare. "I do mind. You forgot about me for a reason and I prefer it to be this way. Don't expect kindness from me, Kyubey. I can tolerate your presence, but this is everything I am ready to give you."

"Now why would you be so cold to him? Kyubey is our greatest friend after all", Mami chimed in, looking at her critically. Homura tilted her head ever so slightly and returned the stare. She and Lilly had a discussion on how to answer to this particular argument. Neither of them wanted to start an act, so they needed a good reason for their dislike of the Incubator. In the end, they found one that was easy and also true.

"You may call him that, but I will never think of him this way. While it is true that Kyubey's miracles are just that, he grants them to any girl that asks as long as she has enough potential. Many of them do not even know what they are bargaining for. Even more of them die when they could have long and good lives. You might say that this is their fault for making a wish lightheartedly, but I don't share that view. To me, Kyubey is at fault for this."

At this point, her eyes became smaller as she stared the other girl down. "I have seen so much death that I lost count of how many I saw die. And a lot of them found their end because of just this."

She kept quiet over the fact that it had always been the same four girls that died. Everything else was true, after all.

Mami on her part had paled slightly and bowed her head, the surprise being evident on her face. "I'm sorry, I did not want to bring up bad memories."

Homura just waved it off, though a bit surprised about the sudden apology. "I dealt with it and you couldn't know. For now, just know that I will not just let him contract every girl he finds, only those that definitely need the wish."

The blonde nodded slowly, turning in the direction of the Witch again. "Alright. I would not want someone to die because they were not ready, either. But before you decide on who needs a wish and who does not, please talk to me."

A moment of silence passed where she pondered whether this repsonse was good or bad, then the older girl looked at her with a small smile. "Shall we get going, then?"

The initial surprise subsided within fractions of a second and Homura nodded. However she managed to convince Tomoe Mami right now, it did work.

 **. . .**

At the same time, Akemi Yuri stood in a restroom and washed her face. She had eaten too hastily, seeing that crumbs of Incubator were all over its lover half. But that was alright. As long as Kyubey did not see it, there was no reason to worry. But people had been looking, so she decided to wash up anyway.

 _Next up... what to do? Hm..._

Fortunately, the question answered itself in form of a small pinkette walking into the restroom, stopping in surprise upon recognizing Lilly.

"Homu... no, Yuri-chan?"

She looked up and nodded with a small smile. "I'm indeed Yuri. Good afternoon, Kaname-san."

She dried her face and shook her head once, having her hair flying around before coming down like it was before. Then, she sent the other girl a questioning look. "Is something wrong?"

Madoka had been fiddling with the hem of her skirt again. Now she looked up with a worried expression. "Well... I don't really know. Homura-chan told me to wait for her and look for you, but I didn't really expect to find you in here of all places..."

So spelled out, this meant...

"Ah, I see. I'll wait outside then."

She went past the pinkette and left the room, leaning against the wall next to the door. A lucky coincidence, though she had felt the nice aroma of Madoka's being around the mall for a while now.

 _Going by what day we have, I suppose she was discussing our introduction with her friends..._

This might have gone rather well. After all, the twins' first impression at school had not been as overwhelming as Homura used to be. Especially since Lilly managed to embarass herself in every subject, failing every question she was given... unfortunately, she still lacked that part of Homura's memories. She understood everything once it was said or written down for her to read, but before that... well, no one mentioned it because she had "been in the hospital for so long". Also, she told Homura to keep it down beforehand, so her "sister" aced everything in terms of equations, but deliberately failed the other questions she was asked. Including the examination in P.E., where both of them scored a height slightly above average. Of course, Lilly could have gotten higher, but that would have meant using magic. Homura could do it without that except for establishing a new prefecture-record, but she remembered what they agreed upon beforehand.

Lilly sighed and shook her head to get rid of the memories. She failed everything... the mere thought of that had her cheeks redden in a mixture of anger and embarassment. She was Homulilly, Mortal World's Witch! She was superior! A humiliation like this... was worthy of punishment.

And at this point, she stopped her train of thought and discarded it. No matter how much she wanted to just go and kill a few humans, maybe the teachers... she could not, must not do it. First, because she would get in a lot of trouble, being unable to hide away in her barrier. Second, because this would definitely scare Madoka. Third... there was no third. The only reasons she did not do it were to protect her own wellbeing and knew her love would not like it.

 _Wait... am I becoming more human?_

The sudden thought had her freeze up, then relax and pinch the bridge of her nose. _Silly me... as if I would ever become a creature as lowly as those... cattle to my kin, nothing else._

Again, the thought was discarded. She should keep her superiority hidden until she could actually establish it. Right now, there was far too much the Witch was lacking in. No barrier, no minions, no actual means to attack or defend... the only things she could do were hiding and running.

With her deep in thoughts, she did not even notice the time pass and almost jumped when Madoka talked to her, having emerged from the bathroom at last. "Um... Yuri-chan?"

"Wh-... Ah, yes. Sorry, I spaced out."

The pinkette just shook her head with a small smile. "It's fine, I took a while."

Then, her expression became somewhat sheepish. "Um... could we go this way? I haven't told Sayaka-chan anything, so she might get worried..."

"Sure."

They got going with Madoka in the lead and after a few seconds, Lilly continued where they left off: "So, what's up?"

To that, her secret love blushed ever so slightly and scratched the back of her head. "You see, about what you told me at school, I think something like that happened."

"Huh..."

So Kyubey had been able to contact her when they slaughtered it time and time again. From the sound of it however, the pinkette did as she asked her to and called Homura instead of going to look for what exactly was going on.

"So you called Onee-chan?"

Of course she should not let on about her deductive abilities. Being underestimated was a big advantage for Lilly's cause, though Madoka would most likely not be her enemy. Ever.

"Uhu, I did. She said that she wanted to sort things out herself. Do you know what she meant?"

Fortunately, there were not many people around as they were closing in on the music store. Lilly smirked. "I assume that she meant escorting you and Miki-san out of the danger-zone. As it stands, the two of you are the only ones that might become this creature's targets."

Unfortunately for the Incubator, Lilly was smart. Smart enough to use its own means against it by carefully wording everything. Like this, she could always say that she meant Gertrud, the Rose Garden Witch instead of Kyubey, should they encounter Mami anytime soon.

"Sayaka-chan and I are in danger?"

They came to a stop now, looking at each other while the Witch thought about what to say. Now she understood fully just why Homura struggled so much with keeping Madoka out of this: this girl was too caring a person as to not get involved. Thus, Lilly sighed, pondering the situation for a moment longer. Then she sighed again and shook her head. Every possible outcome of this day would be Kaname Madoka learning about Magical Girls.

 _Well okay, I could abduct her and keep her away from the world for the years to come, but that wouldn't work well..._

It was a silly thought to begin with. Something like this would only happen if she was really, really desperate. So instead, she decided to take the most advantageous route there was right now. Motioning for the store, Lilly started: "I will tell you, but you should get Miki-san first so that I can bring you somewhere safe."

At the same time, she felt the scent of Gertrud change slightly. Also, Homura's and Mami's presences vanished. Apparently, those two had entered the Witch's barrier.

While she tried to sense something, anything, she spaced out again. When she returned to reality, Madoka had already come back from the store with a suspicious blunette in tow.

Lilly bowed slightly to greet her classmate, then motioned for the exit. "Shall we get going, then?"

"Whoa whoa, wait a second, transfer student", Sayaka waved her hands. "Just what exactly is going on here?"

The Witch shook her head and sighed. "As I said before: I will tell you, but not here. It's not safe."

Another wary glare was sent her way, then Sayaka looked at her smaller friend. "Do you really think we can trust her?"

The pinkette looked at them alternately a few times, then nodded. "Yes, I do."

That had her heart skip a beat, even when she knew that it did not mean much.

"Fine with me then..." However, the tomboy's eyes said something entirely different, promising a lot of pain should she try to hurt her friend. This made Lilly smile. Not a malevolent or cruel smile, but an amused one.

 _How cute. I could stare you down with ease, but I don't want to scare you, Miki Sayaka._

The sudden change in her expression apparently confused the other girl, but the Witch ignored it and started moving. The other two followed suit.

 **. . .**

Entering the barrier had been an easy task. But even then, Mami could not shake off this strange feeling while walking next to the raven-haired Magical Girl. Something about her felt odd, but she would not address it now. She was still slightly embarassed about stepping on so many landmines before.

However, it also felt nice not to be alone in this for a change. Even when her companion did not talk. They just walked down those twisted corridors, taking down every minion they could spot. While they did, Mami was amazed at the skill Akemi showed in handling her weaponry. She kept something that looked like a rifle in her hand, unleashing shells at anything that moved in short and controlled bursts.

"You are doing really well with those firearms, Akemi-san."

Aside from pistols and rifles, her temporary companion had not used anything yet. No magic, either. Mami received a nod. "I practiced for a long time."

A cryptic statement again. Either did she do it on purpose, or she was just so used to it that she did not even notice. Mami could not decide whether of those it was or which one she preferred. The first one would be an open display of distrust, the second one implied that the other girl had been doing this for a really long time.

When another crowd of minions tried to rush them while clicking their scissors, the duo took them down with ease; Mami summoned three muskets, one in her hand and two on the ground next to her. Then she shot each of them, killing off as many minions in rapid succession. Akemi on her part took aim and mowed down the the five in the second line with a short burst from her rifle, then reloaded. While she was busy exchanging the clips, Mami leaped forward and clubbed the remaining two minions to death with the hilt of her third rifle.

Once the last one was down, she turned around with a smile. "We have a good synergy, it seems."

These creatures were no match for one of them to begin with, but it was a lot easier with someone else watching one's back. Akemi nodded again, now holding a set of two pistols instead of the rifle.

 _Strange... She always changes her weapons when I can not see her doing it..._

The blonde pondered this for a moment, then put it aside. She could think about it later, now was not the time.

"This Witch is not particularly strong, so we should..."

As if on cue, the floor started to move. Mami quickly returned to the other girl's side with Kyubey sitting on the ground between them. They were moved fast, several sets of doors opening in front of them whenever they came close until they reached an oval-shaped room in a mixture of various colours, mostly red and green. A few minions were floating around the ceiling and a gargantuan couch was placed on the ground that was about twenty meters lower than they stood right now. On this couch, a large creature with the body of a slug lay, its large head of moss covered in roses that were most likely its eyes.

This was the Witch's lair.

Mami sent a glance at Akemi, who was studying the Witch and her surroundings. Then the strange girl returned her gaze and nodded. "I doubt that this creature is as slow as it looks like."

"Hm..."

The blonde nodded as well, then flashed a small smile. "Shall we kill it, then?"

As an answer, her companion jumped, her magically empowered feet carrying her through the whole room. When she was directly over the unsuspecting Witch, she let something fall down. Mami could not exactly see what it was because she had jumped to the floor at this moment. When the veteran landed however, a set of explosions ripped apart the couch and blew up black smoke. Before it even had dissipated, a swarm of small familiars formed to a slender but long vine that went for Homura, only to never hit her. While the raven-haired girl had reached the opposing wall and used it to make another high jump towards where Mami stood, the blonde sent out one of her ribbons and had it tie down the vine. Another one was forming beneath her, but Akemi crushed it under her feet upon landing. Then she flicked her hair and motioned for the clearing smoke.

"That should have ripped off her wings. You can kill her easily now."

It was as she said: the slug was sitting on the ground amidst the remainder of its couch, trying to flap the remaining half of one butterfly-like wing. Its body was partly blackened by soot and small trickles of blood flowed down to the ground. Mami grinned at that and gathered her magic while the Witch turned her head to look at them.

"I have to compliment you on that, Akemi-san. You are really efficient in fighting Witches."

She did not get an answer, but that did not matter right now. Because of the two working together, what should have been a somewhat even fight turned into a one-sided slaughter. At least, this was how Mami saw it when a large set of yellow ribbons dashed out of her sleeves, some of them binding the Witch that was trying to jump away. The rest started to glow and formed a large cannon as the blonde jumped upwards.

"Tiro..." She took aim and pulled the trigger with her magic. It was impossible to reach it normally anyway. "Finale!"

The large projectile hit the eldritch creature with the force of a train and shred it to pieces upon exploding.

While Mami landed and took a sip from the cup of tea that materialized in her hands, the barrier around them faded. They stood in the unused part of the mall again and with a light clinking noise, the Witch's Grief Seed fell to the ground. Akemi was closer and gathered it with an unreadable expression, then held it out to Mami who looked at her in surprise.

"We agreed on one usage each. Since I do have some left, you can take it until it's time to use it."

Reluctantly, the blonde took the small object while still eyeing the other girl. "I thought you didn't trust me?"

Another flick of her hair. "I gathered information about you before coming here. Therefore, I know that you stay true to your word."

It was true that she was known for being one of the very few veterans, so Mami was inclined to believe it. She pocketed the Grief Seed with a smile and bowed slightly. "Would you mind joining me for dinner, then?"

For a few seconds, she got no answer. This was all it took to make her hopes deflate almost completely.

 _Did I go too far?_

It did not show on her face, but Mami had really hoped to get along with this girl, maybe even teaming up with her. She was strange, but not hostile. Besides, like this she could keep an eye on her to see whether her thoughts were right. But as it stood, she just blew her chances by being too casual too soon.

"Very well."

"Huh?"

Since she already stealed herself for being turned down, the acception caught her off-guard. However, she got a hold of herself quickly. "Wonderful! Please follow me, then."


	6. Don't Think About Choosing This Life

"So... what exactly is this all about?", the blunette wanted to know once again. Sunset was near and the three had been wandering the streets for a while, now reaching a small park. Sayaka was clenching her fists in annoyance, she noticed.

Lilly did her best to keep everything under observation, but she had to divide her attention in order to keep the conversation with the two girls running. Now there was no one around to overhear them, so it might be a good time. She turned around, thus standing opposite to both Madoka and Sayaka, the latter looking at her in anticipation. The pinkette trembled slightly, most likely due to being afraid.

Lilly sighed. This was not how she had wanted things to turn out, but she had to do the best with it now.

"Did you already stop believing in magic?"

The strange question had both of them open their mouths in surprise. It took a few seconds until Sayaka started to speak. Madoka stopped herself as to let her friend go first.

"What do you take us for? Five-year-olds? Of course there's no magic."

For a moment, it looked as if the tomboy wanted to add something. Going by her vast knowledge about this girl, it was most likely something on the lines of "but that would be so cool!". Instead of remarking on it, the Witch shifted her gaze towards Madoka. "And you?"

The girl started fidgeting at once. "Um... well... no, not really."

She sighed again and turned her back to them. "Too bad then. Magic does exist."

As if on cue, a slight gust of wind had her hair flow and let the leafs of a few nearby trees rustle. She did not need to see their faces to know how dumbfounded they were.

"What the... you're joking, right?"

"I'm not."

Lilly could sense it; the other girl became angry. Madoka was mostly agitated. And some fear was mixed into it as well once she turned around again, measuring both of them with an iron stare. She could be more intimidating than Homura, simply by adding a frown the Magical Girl would never show into her expression. A side effect was that Sayaka stepped between her and Madoka protectively.

"Enough with this shit! If you've just wasted our time to..."

She was interrupted by a soft laughter. Its origin was Lilly herself, being amused by the fact that this pathetic little human thought it could stand up to the might of a high-class Witch like her.

Once she calmed down a bit, she looked at them with a small smile. With the sun somewhere behind her back, her face was covered in shadows. "How interesting. You don't believe me, but I expected that. Mind if I show you something, then?"

"Huh?"

This statement apparently caught Miki Sayaka off-guard. Either did she expect something more villainlike -after all, Lilly made a good impression of one up until now-, or she had been spacing out.

"That won't take long, really. In fact, it will start... now."

Just as she said it, the world started to twist around them, becoming contorted and dark. Madoka and Sayaka scurried closer together in surprise and Lilly took a few steps towards them as well, curiously examining the barrier. The scent told her that it belonged to a Familiar, so it would not pose a problem.

"You... what did you..."

She focussed her gaze on the blunette who was clenching her fists again. However, she shook badly as did Madoka, though the latter kept clinging to her friend's shoulder. Seeing that, the Witch became jealous. _She_ wanted to be the one Madoka clung to. But seeing that she could not have that right now, she sighed again and shook her head, both to get rid of this unwanted feeling and to answer Sayaka. Once more, she was grateful for the enormous amount of willpower she inherited from Homura. Without it, she would have been all over the pinkette long ago.

"This was not my doing. I just knew that this creature was around."

The other two were barely visible to her and she could not see farther than about four meters, but that did not bother her. She had her ears and nose. Of course, this Familiar would never expect to find a Witch among a set of humans it wanted to devour.

"In the shadows of this world, creatures known as Witches linger. They hide in places like this and prey on humans to feast on their souls."

She went closer to her temporary proteges and placed her hands on one shoulder each. "As long as you stay close to me, nothing will happen to you. We can only get out of here when the creature that created this place dies."

They were almost stunned by fear, shaking and unable to speak. Even the mighty Sayaka was silenced by some darkness and a few cryptic words. Seeing her like that had Lilly cheer on the inside. It felt good to have this worm know her place.

"So... there is a W-Witch in here?"

Literally on the other hand, she gently squeezed Madoka's shoulder to reassure her. And the pinkette calmed down ever so slightly, looking at her like a deer caught in headlights. But she nodded.

The, she went to answer the blunette's question: "Nope, from the looks of it, that's just a Familiar, a Witch's servants that went its own way to become a Witch of its own. They are generally weaker, but dangerous nonetheless."

With that, the Witch took both of the girls by their hands and started walking. This might just be a Familiar's barrier, yet it took quite a while to wander it. This one was almost done gathering the energy to transform into a Witch, or so it seemed. At the same time, Lilly had problems to keep her senses up. Holding Madoka's hand sent electric bolts through her whole arm. She was more than just happy, even when the other hand was held by someone she disliked so much. It felt great even when she was almost pulling them through this barrier.

 _I guess it's time for more exposition..._

"Girls our age are contracted to become Magical Girls, being tasked to hunt and kill these creatures. However, it is not as fancy as those Anime make you believe it to be."

"Huh... uh... w-what... do you mean, Yuri-chan?"

After struggling with her voice for a few moments, Madoka could voice the question rather well, seeing how much she was shaking even now. Lilly smiled at the innocent question while scanning her surroundings with her ears and nose.

"No one thanks them. No one knows they even exist. They fight over the resources they get from killing Witches in order to survive. And they die. Ninety percent of the girls that obtain magic do not live through their first month."

Of course, the number was a guess of hers, but it sounded accurate. However, her hands had squeezed the other girls' harder without her noticing. Apparently, this influenced her as well. She quickly relaxed the grip and took the opportunity when Madoka said something; Lilly released her power with a strong heartbeat, then let go of the pinkette and blunette for a moment. She stopped time, gathered air and spit out but a small spark of purple fire, which went flying away from her while closing in on the ground. The Witch quickly swallowed the remaining energy back down, but fortunately her knees stopped wobbling from the disgusting taste before the time stop wore off.

"That's awful..."

"Mhm. That's why both Homura and I want to keep you from that. You do have the potential to become Magical Girls, but this life is not for you."

Now Sayaka chimed in: "Wait... so you and your sister are...?"

"Homura is. I am not. Don't worry, though. Even when I'm not a Magical Girl, I can protect... huh?"

She stopped abruptly and the other two came to a halt by her sides. Lilly successfully faked the surprised stare upon seeing the spreading fire in front of her. It had become much larger than the small spark she spat out before.

After looking at the flames for a moment, she slowly gave an explanation: "I guess that's that. This fire won't harm us and burn this whole barrier to ash."

"Uh... how do you know, tr... Akemi-san?"

Oh? Did she hear that right? Had Miki Sayaka just called her by her name?

 _Looks like it... maybe this will be easier than expected..._  
She did not get her hopes up though. The moment this girl learned about what Lilly actually was, she would start hunting her.

"About a week ago, an irregular Witch appeared. Up until now, it has not attacked a single human, at least none that I know of. Instead, it goes around killing Witches and her Familiars. That fire is hers, so she's around."

At the mentioning of one of those eldritch creatures being closeby, both girls shook and scurried closer to Lilly, most likely without even noticing it themselves.

She chuckled and shook her head ever so slightly while they watched the fire spread. How ironic that they came closer to the Witch in an attempt to get away from it.

"This fire consumes everything magic-related, from Magical Girls to Witches. However, it doesn't damage anything else, so we're safe."

While she said it, she patted both girls on the shoulders, Sayaka mostly as to not make it obvious how much she was doting on Madoka. The pinkette was still shaking badly and looked at her fearfully.

"But... aren't you afraid that this Witch attacks us?"

She shrugged and watched the fire spread, illuminating the darkness in a ghostly, purple light. In the direction they had been heading before, a small screeching became audible.

 _I would never attack you, that's for sure. But I can hardly tell you that, now can I?_

Her words were somewhat different from her thoughts: "This is the first Witch I ever saw killing her own kind. She hasn't been hostile up until now, so why should I be afraid? There are exceptionals among humans, too."

With a small laugh, she gently pulled both girls closer to the fire, ignoring that it already engulfed a rather large portion of the ground and started to spread onto the almost liquid darkness in the air.

"While most Magical Girls would cringe at the very thought, I consider this Witch an ally. Nothing but her prey's Grief Seed is left once she's done, she doesn't even claim that."

Both of them were reluctant to follow her, yet they did. Apparently, being in the darkness by themselves felt more threatening to them than walking into a raging fire. As they went into it, Lilly started to feel a pleasant warmth all around herself, just like what she felt when thinking about her love.

Going by them squeezing her hands in surprise, the same happened to Madoka and Sayaka. Lilly chuckled again.

"I told you before, didn't I? This is the safest place in the whole barrier right now because no magic can come in here."

As if on cue, a pained screech could be heard farther away and due to the glints of light the fire gave them, she could see a shadowy silhouette being engulfed by the flames and burned to ash in seconds. At the same moment, their surroundings started to waver and faded out of existence. On the inside, Lilly cursed for being unable to eat the Familiar. On the outside however, she let go of her companions and smiled at them encouragingly. "See? You're safe and sound and the Familiar is dead."

They looked around, then at each other and at Lilly. While they did this, the Witch quickly scanned her surroundings and realised that there was a small group of people walking through the park a bit farther down the road. Thankfully, they were headed in the opposite direction and no one had seen them leave the barrier.

As both of her classmates' eyes were lying on her, she looked at them with a serious expression. "There is one more thing about Witches."

Madoka uttered a surprised "Huh?" while Sayaka nodded slightly, still wearing a plain expression. Maybe the shock still lingered. And now, here came Homulilly's masterpiece: conveying the truth without saying anything. She had learned from the master of this art after all.

"Witches are born by despair and curses while Magical Girls are born from hope and wishes. To keep the balance of those, a Witch is born for every Magical Girl that comes into existence, equaling that girl in terms of power if not exceeding her. So as I said before: don't think about choosing this life. It is only for those who have no other choice. Especially you should be careful, Kaname-san."

As her gaze focussed on her, the pinkette's expression became one of surprise. Of course it did, she always thought she was just average in everything after all.

"Huh? M-Me?"

Lilly sighed and made a dismissive gesture.

"You carry more potential than any other girl in this generation, Homura told me that. Magical Girls can already feel how much power you would have if you ever contracted. And I tell you not to. Because just as I said before, if you do, a Witch just as powerful will be born, most likely strong enough to destroy the whole world."

She shrank back upon hearing this, looking down with a troubled expression. That was, until Lilly placed a hand on her shoulder, having her look up and showing her an encouraging smile. "You don't need to be worried about it. As long as you keep in mind what's at stake, you won't be tricked by anyone and that's enough."

After a moment of consideration, the Witch let go of Madoka's shoulder again. She should be more careful about showing this much familiarity, though it seemed to be appreciated this time around. The pinkette looked a bit better and returned a smile of her own. "Thank you, Yuri-chan. I will keep my eyes open, then."

That smile made her heart race, but she successfully stopped herself from blushing and thereby did a better job in disguising her condition than Sayaka, who stood there with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She still shook slightly and did rather well in hiding it. Unfortunately for her, Lilly was a master of observation and laughed about it on the inside. While she still did that, the blunette said something: "Just who in hell would go to fight this monsters, anyway?"

The Witch chuckled and turned her gaze towards the horizon. "You see, it's not as if you wouldn't get anything out of this."

She knew it without having to look; both girls were listening again.

"A girl that forms the contract with the messenger of magic will get every one wish of her desire fulfilled. In return, this girl has to fight until her life ends."

As she saw the surprised expressions of her companions, she chuckled again. "Sounds strange, huh? You would be surprised how many girls are too stupid to understand the 'fight until you die' part or believe to be heroines of an Anime. Those get crushed within weeks, either by a Witch or a more experienced Magical Girl."

Especially the last part had them open their eyes wide and Madoka almost sputtered a question: "B-But wouldn't it be better to work together if a Witch is so dangerous?"

She received a nod from Lilly, who smirked on the inside. _Of course it would be, even when the loot has to be split. But humans are arrogant and stupid. One can survive one of these traits, but both of them combined are deadly._

"Yes, it would be. But Magic is limited. You see", she raised her hand and connected her middle finger and thumb at their tips. "Upon contracting, every Magical Girl is given a Soul Gem of about this size. The more magic is used, the darker the gem gets and once it is completely black, the girl dies. Understood so far?"

Both of them nodded, apparently getting numb towards the mentioning of death by now. Sayaka looked as if she wanted to ask something, but Lilly continued before she could: "The only means to restore the Soul Gem is to purify it with a Grief Seed that absorbs the darkness. I mentioned them a while ago already; a Grief Seed practically is the heart of a Witch and the only thing that remains when she's killed. However, given enough time or used too often for purifying, the Witch can recover and emerge again."

Except for her, of course. Her Witch-heart was her human heart as well, both of them beating together with the stubborness of a human and the eldritch might of her actual kin.

Lilly had made a small pause for them to take the information in, then continued: "Magical Girls keep to their territories and are happy with it. In very rare cases, they join forces to take down larger Witches or work together. However, Grief Seeds are the main reason for their behaviour in almost every case. The more you have in reserve, the safer you are."

A gentle breeze caressed her face and she closed her eyes to savor it, telling herself that this were actually Madoka's hands stroking her. Then, a question of said girl brought her back to reality in an instant. "So Mitakihara is Homura-chan's territory?"

"Mhm... no."

Both of them opened their eyes wide in surprise, but Lilly just shook her head and had her expression return to unreadable. "Tomoe Mami patrols Mitakihara for at least two years now. She's one of the rare cases of a Magical Girl that prefers working with others and since we haven't met Homura on our way, they most likely ran into each other."

Of course they did, she had sensed both of them close to each other. But those two might get suspicious if she told them about her ability to sense magic. At this point, them meeting Mami was unavoidable, so she should be careful about what to tell them lest they might tip off Kyubey.

 _Anyway_ , Lilly was hit by a thought, _why is everything happening so fast? With this speed in development, they will find out about me being a Witch in just a few more days..._

She could not let this happen. Not at all. But right now, the only thing she could do was playing it safe. Telling Madoka had been a necessity as to avoid her being tricked into contracting by Kyubey. With everything she told her today, it was unlikely that Mami could change the pinkette's mind, either. At least not fast enough.

 _So the only condition that remains..._

Walpurgis.

With a sigh, the Witch motioned for her companions to follow her. "Anyway, that was about everything I wanted to tell you today. I'll walk you home just to be sure."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Homura wondered how Lilly was doing.

While she did trust her "sister's" capability to keep the other girls safe, she was slightly concerned about how she would act around them.

The time traveler herself had slight problems coping with her feelings for Madoka at times, but Lilly sometimes lacked the resolve she herself held. She caught the Witch looking at pictures of the pinkette with an enraptured expression, snapping out of it not long after starting. However, those short amounts of time where she could not keep herself in control were the most dangerous.

As it was, she just had to trust her on not suddenly jumping Madoka. After all, Tomoe Mami would not easily forgive her for rushing off right now, seeing that they almost reached her apartement. That was what made dealing with her rather difficult: even the slightest dismissal would be taken as a hostile act if not explained well.

"Is something on your mind, Akemi-san?"

She returned to reality and nodded slightly at the blonde that was looking at her with a mixture of concern and curiousity. "Yes. Originally, I wanted to meet up with my sister at the mall. Knowing her, she will be on her way home by now, so I have to make a call once we have some time."

"Ah, of course."

The older girl nodded several times and smiled at her. "You are very considerate about her, then. Though you could have told me earlier and we could have made a short detour."

For a few seconds, they continued to walk in silence. Then Homura gave the only explanation possible in a deadpan manner: "I forgot."

"Oh... I see..."

Her senpai giggled slightly as to cover up the awkward silence, then stopped walking. Scanning her surroundings made the time traveler understand that his was because they had arrived at Mami's apartement. It happened a bit sooner than she expected... or she really lost track of the time.

"We are there."

Homura nodded and waited for the other Magical Girl to open the door, then bowed slightly upon entering her place.

"It is a bit untidy, though. I did not expect a visitor today, but I hope the snacks I have will be to your liking."

It was unlikely that they would not. After all, Tomoe Mami was an excellent baker. The raven-haired girl herself learned a bit from her years ago, but it was nowhere near to what the blonde was capable of when given the right materials.

The apartement itself was just as Homura remembered it: spacious, full of stuffed things, neatly cleaned and with a slight scent of tea-leaves. She was motioned to sit down at the table in the living room while her host quickly prepared some tea and got cake out.

 _Tomoe Mami... of all of us, you are the most fragile one._

It would be a hard piece of work to have the veteran survive this month, thereby keeping her from discovering Lilly and the truth. If either of those happened, there was almost no chance for her to survive.

As Homura sat there, she tried her best to ignore Kyubey sitting on the table and examining her. Its tail was swishing back and forth as it always did, giving the impression of a cute, small animal to anyone who did not know about what it was.

She, however, did.

 _'I wonder, Akemi Homura. Why would you go out of your way to stop me from establishing contact with Kaname Madoka?'_

The clattering in the kitchen stopped and she could practically see Mami leaning in to listen in front of her mind's eye. Since she could not see her however, she sent the Incubator an icy stare. "I do not approve of your criteria of choosing Magical Girls. All of us who use magic can sense her potential already, so of course you would try. This girl does not deserve a life like ours, though. Therefore, I won't let you get close to her."

 _'I see. How much exactly do you believe to know, Homura?'_

To a human, the darkening look in her eyes would have conveyed everything. Kyubey however did not understand it and got no answer to its question, either. At this point, Mami returned with two plates, each of them holding a slice of cake and a fork.

"I'm sorry, it took a while."

She smiled apologeptically, but Homura merely waved it off. "It did not take that long."

When the cake was placed in front of her, she remembered the cover story she told earlier, so she rose from the table, taking her cellphone out at the same time. "Excuse me for a moment."

"Ah, of course."

Under Mami's observant stare -yes, she noticed it even with her back turned-, she speed-dialed the number of her home. After a few seconds of beeping, a clicking was heard and her own voice greeted her: "This is the Akemi residence, though no one is at home right now. Should you want to leave a message, please do so after the tone."

Just the mailbox. As she heard it, the time traveler sighed and pinched the back of her nose. Then, after the beep, she spoke: "It's me, Homura. I made a detour because I met a senpai of ours, so I will most likely run late. You don't need to wait for me with dinner."

After a moment of consideration, she added something to convey her being an older sister a bit more: "And Yuri: No sweets beforehand."

That was everything. She ended the call and returned to the table, taking her place opposite to Mami again. The blonde looked at her with a lenient smile. "You are not very talkative, are you?"

Homura just cocked an eyebrow and folded her hands in her lap. "Some things just don't need many words. Yuri knows me well enough."

"Hm..."

The older girl pondered what she said for a moment, then shrugged. "If you say so, Akemi-san. Though I really thought you would turn down my invitation, or be a bit more hostile than you turned out to be..."

The remark had her perk up and examine the other girl, but there was no sign of hostility, just some confusion and... she could not really tell. This was an abnormal situation, so even Homura with her knowledge was unable to guess what Tomoe Mami felt at this moment.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh... well, you see... after Kyubey told me that you attacked him, I figured that we wouldn't get along. To be honest, I came after you in the mall to confront you about that, but my opinion of you changed over fighting the Witch."

So that was it. She had not tried to keep herself hidden in this past week, so she had been noticed. Yuri hadn't, though. Otherwise, she would be dead by now. However, another thought came up from the darker parts of her mind: _Or are you just that desperate to find friends that you decided to turn a blind eye on it?_

Whatever the answer was, Homura nodded and took a piece of the cake. Before she put it into her mouth, she gave a short remark: "As I said, I won't allow him to contract girls as he pleases."

Then, she carefully chewed the delicious food. After swallowing it, she nodded at her host again. "This is really well made."

The compliment had Mami brighten up. It was rather easy to play the other girl once one knew which buttons to push. Which was what she did right now, because even when Lilly emphasized on them having to keep all three girls safe and sane, Homura did not find it in her to care for any of them that much. If it led to her goal, she would do it.

She knew full well what that kind of mindset meant; after all, she was well aware that she lost her humanity long ago and became a monster. However, that was alright. If she could safe Madoka, she would lie as much as was needed, would destroy as many lifes as necessary. All those years back, she would have been afraid of herself for even thinking like that. Now, she just accepted it.

 _Back then, I still thought of my future, too._

Something she did not have anymore. Securing Madoka's safety was everything she needed to do now. Then, her existence would end for good and a new Witch would be born.

This thought brought her to another question, seeing that her Witch was born already. So what would happen if she witched out now? Would another Homulilly be created?

"Um... Akemi-san?"

As she returned into reality, she saw Mami looking at her somewhat worried. "Are you alright?"

With her mind still partly absent, she nodded. "Yes, I am. I appreciate your concern, though."

She took another piece of cake while watching the blonde doing the same. For whatever reason though, the other girl started to smile upon returning her gaze, thus confusing Homura. It took her a few seconds to understand that she herself started smiling first. The unusual movement of her muscles had not even been a concious one, she just did it.

Maybe it was because of this situation reminding her of happier times. Most likely so. The two Magical Girls sat there, eating cake in silence. It was somewhat peaceful, Homura thought. And it had been a really long time since she had gotten along with Tomoe Mami like this. Even in this timeline before the current one, it had been more of an alliance than anything else.

 _Maybe... maybe this one smile made her my ally already..._

At least for now, until the blonde learned about certain things like Lilly. But for the time being, she could be content with what she achieved. Appeasing this girl at their first meeting was not this easy.

 _'There is something I would like to ask you, Homura.'_

And of course, the rat had to ruin this peaceful moment. At once, her mask slipped back in place and a cold stare was sent at the Incubator. "What is it?"

Normally, she would not have reacted, but she had to keep the illusion of at least tolerating its presence alive. Kyubey tilted its head and continued to stare at her with those soulless eyes. _'About your sister, Akemi Yuri: would you know a reason for her not having any potential at all?'_

To that, she cocked an eyebrow. However, it was Mami who voiced her question first: "Is this not normal for people who can not become Magical Girls?"

Now, the creature turned towards the blonde. _'Not at all. While it does matter just how much potential one has to determine their suitability for being Magical Girls, I never encountered a girl without any potential before. This is as much an anomaly as Homura herself. Even those without enough potential to become Magical Girls do have at least some of it.'_

"Oh... is that so?"

With that, the other girl sent Homura a questioning glance that had her sigh and shake her head. "I didn't know about this before right now. Yuri has always been Yuri."

"Hm... but this definitely is strange, then. Say, does your sister know about Magical Girls?"

Of course she would ask. The problem was that Homura could only give so many answers without tipping off Kyubey. Should the Incubator inquire further, she would need to lie instead of just saying something that did not contain any information. And then, it would be a real problem if she was found out.

Homura nodded at the question. "She does."

To that, Mami showed worry in her expression, though it was not much. "I guess this is because she is your sister? Normally we wouldn't tell those that can not become Magical Girls, after all."

Another nod from the time traveler while she finished her cake and took a sip from the tea the blonde had prepared without her even noticing. She was definitely spacing out too much as of late.

"Anyway, I do not really mind sharing Mitakihara with you, Akemi-san. The only thing I want to ask of you is to get along with Kyubey."

Apparently, this was her opportunity. She knew full well that Tomoe Mami desperately wanted her to become her partner, yet the other girl was either too polite or too afraid of the answer she would get on a proposal like this. Homura folded her hands in her lap and closed her eyes for a moment, then looked at the older girl again.

"As I said, I can tolerate his presence. Also, I wouldn't mind working with you in the future, if you like."

It took a few seconds until the information clicked, but the process was easily visible from the outside; at first she was utterly surprised over the suggestion, then overflowed with joy to the point that tears formed in the corners of Mami's eyes. However, she wiped them away before giving the time traveler a thoughtful look and a smile.

"Could it be... that you noticed?"

Lying or telling the truth? It was hard to decide. Should she let on about too much, she would lose the sympathy she gained up until now in an instant. But this much could be done and explained easily. So Homura nodded again.

"I did. After all, I have been alone for a long time as well. However, after losing a fair amount of partners before, I decided to work alone for the rest of my life and developed the appropriate mindset. So I imagine that dealing with me might become difficult in the future... I thought you should know this beforehand."

To that, Mami just shook her head and smiled happily. "I don't mind at all. Everyone has their antics, so I'm sure I can get along with yours. I promise I won't fail you, Akemi-san."

That made one.


	7. Call It a Bond

When Homura went home, night had already fallen. She kept Mami company for about three hours, then went to leave. They had school the next day, after all.

There was not much talking, seeing that the time traveler was still unwilling to tell her new ally much about her reasons. Though she did mention the coming of Walpurgis and the blonde displayed a lot of interest in this, promising her assistance once the Queen of Witches appeared.

 _If she lives long enough to even lay eyes on her._

Those timelines where Tomoe Mami did not die before the last day of April were rare. She got herself killed through a vast variety of circumstances, though the most common was getting her head bitten off by the Caterpillar-Witch for a while now.

It was somewhat macabre for her to think about another person dying in a statistical way, yet this was the only thing Homura was capable of after everything she had been through. However, she was still amazed at how well the procedure Lilly suggested went. They did not plan for her to meet Mami this early, though. Therefore, this was a rather pleasant surprise. Kyubey might have planned to play the blonde as a card, but underestimated her desire not to be alone anymore.

While those thoughts crossed her mind, Homura kept walking through the night, not caring for the few stray cats that crossed her path on the way. There were some people out, too, but at this time of the day, no one minded the others much. She got one or two stares, but that was it.

 _I just hope that Lilly didn't do anything stupid._

This thought had her stop for a moment to ponder where it came from. Either did she want to keep a powerful ally, or she actually started to feel attached to the Witch and did not want to lose her.

If it was the former, that was alright. Should it be the latter though, she might have a problem. A serious problem.

After all, she could not rely on something as abnormal as a human-shaped Witch not to be noticed and hunted. She did not have that much luck. However, she remembered, Lilly was a powerful being that could kill her own kin without even breaking a sweat.

 _She survived up until now without getting noticed, even when Kyubey is suspecting something. The least I can do to honour this is to trust her a bit more._

That sounded fine to her, so she decided to do it.

Walking home at night felt somewhat refreshing; it was quiet and the cool night's air sent a chill through her spine. She always liked this time of the day because it felt somewhat comforting. Or because it did not remind her former self of not having any friends that much. Maybe both.

However, this peaceful time of just walking and breathing had to end eventually. She reached her home and could already feel that something bad happened deep down in her guts.

Quickly, Homura unlocked the door and went inside, kicking away her shoes in the process. Though she stopped dead in her tracks when she could smell that something burned inside.

 _What..._

She closed the door and brought the chain in place, then went towards the kitchen, her bad feeling increasing alongside the stench.

Within the room in question, her assumption was proven when she saw what happened: the area around the stove was mostly blackened and a frying pan just as dark sat in the sink. Lilly was on her knees on the floor around the stove, apparently scrubbing it clean with what looked like ferocity. Though the most alienating about this scene was that the Witch only wore underwear and constantly muttered under her breath.

Due to being busy, she did not even notice Homura appearing behind her back, which was why she jumped and whirled around when she was spoken to. "You tried to cook?"

There was no anger in her voice, just curiousity seeing that she never used the kitchen anyway. But even then, her "sister" turned a deep scarlet and averted her gaze, the small nod almost escaping time traveler's attention. She sighed and took a closer look at the damage.

Just superficial. Though the frying pan could be tossed out, seeing that some egg had molten into the material.

As she turned around again, Lilly still stood in the midst of the room like a statue, her hands slightly shaking. However, her expression was still unreadable apart from her blush. Again, Homura regarded the lack of clothing and sent the other girl a quizzical stare. "What exactly happened?"

A heavy sigh escaped the Witch before she regained some of her composure and motioned for the stove. "I am able to live off of raw food, but I don't like it. So I tried to make some with recipes I found on the Internet... at least I learned about what not to do, so something like this will never happen again."

Though Homura doubted it, she just nodded, then she went for her next question: "Why are you in your underwear, then?"

She got a shrug and the Witch started to gather her cleaning materials. "I already lost one of my school uniforms to the smoke, I don't want to get another one dirty."  
"I see."

That made sense, at least. But there was one more thing she wondered about, because she had checked the wastebin as well.

"And where is whatever you wanted to cook?"

In response, the other girl patted her tummy thrice with a void expression. "Since that was my fault, I faced the consequences and ate all of it. And now I have a tummy ache."

Especially because of her deadpan manner of speaking right now, Homura shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Even when you made the mistake, having to clean it up should be punishment enough, don't you think?"

"Um... it is?"

Lilly blinked a few times, then looked down and sighed. "Whatever, I'm getting this finished before bed, don't mind me."

Even when she said that, cleaning this up completely would take at least two more hours. So Homura just shook her head and went into her bedroom.

Once she emerged again, Lilly -who had started scrubbing after changing the water in her bucket- looked at her warily. Then, her eyes became wider upon seeing the time traveler in her gym clothes, taking another sponge from the sink and crouching down next to her. "Homura?"

"You would be up half the night if you wanted to get this done by yourself. And as your older sister, I can't allow this."

It was a poor excuse, really. However, the choice of words apparently touched the Witch more than Homura expected. She did not say anything to that, but instead doubled her speed.

"Also, I wanted to exchange information with you anyway."

By now, the Magical Girl had started scrubbing as well, no longer looking at Lilly. The human-shaped Witch kept quiet for a few more seconds, then gave her a short report: "I got Madoka and Miki out of the mall without seeing the rat, but I had to tell them about what's going on. Luckily, a Familiar came our way once I started telling them. They should believe how dangerous this is now, even when I roasted it."

She had been listening nonchalantly, but the last statement gave Homura pause. "You used your power in front of them?"

The first reply she got was a laugh. "Of course not, I'm not stupid. I used a good moment to stop time and spat out some fire. Oh and besides, you should know about what exactly I told them."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

Now it became interesting. How well had the Witch done? Going by the smirk she heard from her voice -after all, she was concentrated on scrubbing-, it had been a masterpiece.

"First, I told them that an irregular Witch appeared that kills other Witches, thus the fire. Nothing specific of course. Additionally, I told them about this system's greatest rule without actually revealing it, saying that for every Magical Girl that is born, a Witch just as powerful will come into existence."

Homura pondered that once Lilly finished. After a while, she voiced her thoughts: "This sounds well enough. Believable even to Tomoe Mami, but not shocking, should she ever learn about your words."

"I know. I think I made them as opposed to becoming Magical Girls as was possible today."

That was good to hear. Not only did her "sister" not mess up, but did a far better job at this certain day than Homura ever had. Maybe her Witch really was more mature than her, both in knowledge and intelligence. Though... going by what came next, she was more mature in terms of humour...

"So, how did the tea party go?"

Of course she would ask like this. The time traveler sighed. "She is now my ally, though I have to tolerate Kyubey."

"Poor you..."  
Homura ignored that for obvious reasons.

"Also, the Incubator is suspicious about you because you have no magical potential at all."

This time, Lilly's scrubbing stopped momentarily. As it resumed, the Witch answered: "Makes sense. I'm suppressing all of my magic after all."

There had been nothing else she could tell her "sister", so Homura kept quiet and so did the other girl. They got the floor done in a good time, then went in for the stove. This was a bit more tricky, seeing that there were many edges and holes the soot had fallen onto and into.

But even then, it was better than crouching, as her aching knees told her.

"You know, some people would kill to see this, even when it's ridiculous."

Her questioning stare remained unseen, but not unanswered. Apparently, Lilly knew that she would ask. "Think about it: two girls with exactly the same outwards appearance, one of them in underwear and the other in gym clothes... of course, the only one that might ever see us like this is Madoka."

Homura's cheeks heated up ever so slightly over this remark, but she could stop herself from blushing and remained scrubbing. "I certainly doubt that."

"But you wouldn't mind, either."

This time however, she did blush. Furiously. And not even her hair could conceal it from the attentive eyes of the Witch. Lilly did not say anything about it, though. Just when did she start to tease people?

Also, they shared those feelings, so why was Homura so embarassed about admitting them? Maybe it was because she was so used to concealing everything about herself... or because somewhere deep down, a bit of her long gone shyness remained. She had no experience in love and did never expect to get any before she became a Magical Girl. And after that...

"You know... there are a few things I wanted to tell you, actually."

Instead of replying, she sent another look at her "sister", who did not return or even acknowledge it. She was focussed on scrubbing, but her face was concealed by her own hair.

"Since we get along so well, I figured it is about time I tell you about what my magic can do."

Now it became interesting again. Homura had already wondered why she was not told anything useful up until now, after all.

"Sorry for not telling you before, but I'm as suspicious as you are, even about myself."  
That was about what the time traveler had expected to begin with, so she did not really mind. "It's fine."

There was no need to say any more, they both knew that. So instead of wasting time with monologueing, she motioned for Lilly to continue. The Witch took a deep breath and started talking: "You already know about my fire and my own time magic. However, the latter is different from yours in two ways I assessed by now; firstly, I can synchronize with you. So as long as we are synchronized, I stop time by instinct whenever you do. Unfortunately, it seems to only work this way and not the other way around."

This first thing sounded interesting. It also explained why Lilly could easily follow into Homura's time stops in this past week. Though she was not really sure on its safety.

"Are there any downsides?"

"Um..."

The Witch pondered this for a few seconds while continuing to scrub, then shrugged. "None I am aware of. To keep the synchronization alive, I have to use a bit of my power, but that's nothing at all. I can't do it when we're far away from each other... well, I could, but my Witch-aura could be sensed then. When you're close by, your magical footprint overshadows mine. Also, there might be a way to use this synchro... let's stop with that word and call it a bond. That's far shorter."

Lilly was not looking, but the last part had Homura flash a smile. Even when she should fight against it, she accepted that the Witch was growing on her somewhere on the way.

"However, as I was saying: with a bit more experimenting, I think I can evolve this bond into a means of communication. Since we are connected at those times, it should be able to transport messages as well..."

A convenient alternative to Kyubey relaying messages per telepathy, but from the sound of it...

"That will take some experimenting and practice, though."

Of course there had to be a downside. Nonetheless, Homura found this an interesting concept. It would solve at least the problem of staying in contact, seeing that Lilly did not have her own cellphone. Also she declined when they talked about this in particular, insisting that it was more than enough if the Magical Girl had one. Additionally, this decision increased the budget they had to spend on something else that might be more important, though weapons and anything on those lines was out of the question anyway, considering the weapon laws in Japan.

"Hm..."

The thoughtful noise had her look up, thus meeting Lilly's gaze. The Witch pondered something, that was for sure. Homura returned to her work and waited for whatever she thought about. So for a while, the kitchen was solely inhabited by scrubbing noises again. After a while, her 'twin' spoke up: "Theoretically, we could start practicing right now."

"Um... Indeed we could."

That was not a bad idea, though she was slightly worried about how much energy this bond would consume exactly. "As long as it doesn't weaken you too much."

There was a cheerful undertone in Lilly's voice now: "Don't worry, with the amount of energy I consumed in these days, I could do it all day. Though... I never did it so that you knew I was linked to you. Wait a second."

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, a sharp pain in her temples had Homura come to a complete halt. However, she stopped herself from rubbing the aching places, letting the Witch continue but also sending her an annoyed stare. Which was ignored.

The pain lingered a few moments, then started to subside until it was just a small pulsing somewhere in the background. Since the nuisance was now gone, the time traveler continued to clean the stove. However, a sudden statement had her stop once more.

"There, all set. Can you feel it?"

It took her a moment to understand; this pulse she could feel vibrating, it was not a remainder of the headache but something else. As she concentrated on it, it became clearer. Something strange, alienating. Something Homura had never felt before; deep down towards her subconciousness, she could feel it pulsing, emanating _something_. But even when she did not know anything about it, it did not scare or upset her. Instead, she became curious about what it was.

She wanted to ask for what exactly she was feeling right now, but something like a jolt of electricity stopped her for a moment, so Lilly could beat her to it: "Ah, I can feel it, too! That was curiousity from you right now, was it not? Hm..."

While she continued to scrub, the Witch frowned. "I think we're limited to basic emotions for the time being. Not even something like hope or sadness, but the primal ones like hunger, content, curiousity and so on."

Now Homura finally got to say something: "Then... what exactly was that just now?"

"Hm? Oh, that. I took a hold of that feeling of yours for a moment as to distinguish what it was. Its a bit like with ones voice on that matter: By looking at it from the outside, we can't really understand it as long as we never heard it before. So we have to hold on to each others feelings in order to categorize them. Come on, try to grab for me... wait, I shouldn't just believe you to be capable of this..."

With a sigh, the Witch let go of her sponge and put it in the bucket, then she turned to Homura and opened her hands. The sudden action did not actually startle her, she was used to them by now. However, the interested and curious look in her 'sister´s' eyes was one she had rarely seen before. "Come on, hand me your Soul Gem. I will guide you."

For a moment, she thought about resisting, but then shrugged internally. It had been proven multiple times that the other girl could not inflict harm on her directly and she never displayed any desire to do so in the first place. It was just the caution she earned by so many years of fighting dubious creatures speaking, an antic Akemi Homura would never get away from. And she did not want to get away from it, either.

This time however, it was completely unnecessary, so she handed over the gem after transforming it. Once Lilly had taken the trinket, she stared at the slightly tainted crystal for a few seconds, then sighed while the strange feeling Homura felt from her appeared to come closer until it 'touched' her. When it became a part of the time traveler, she opened her eyes in surprise about how easy it had been to understand: curiousity, plain and simple.

"This would go so much easier and faster if you could learn and evolve like I do..."

Now this statement distracted her from experimenting with this new feeling. However, since they were connected, Lilly felt her curiousity rise in an instant, placing a finger on her cheek with a smirk. "See, that's useful already."

"Yes, it is... I can feel your... discontent."

It had taken a moment for her to understand what she sensed coming from Lilly, but once she put it, it almost felt natural. The Witch bit her lip, returned the Soul Gem and continued scrubbing. The stove was almost done.

"I don't like giving away information I actually did not want to spill. At least... not like this. Since it's you, I don't have to be on guard, but still... whatever."

Their connection was still active and the time traveler could feel the discontent vanish, being replaced by a light feeling of pain, probably from the tummy ache. At first, it had really felt strange, but she already got used to it. Maybe because they were the same person, so their feelings were similar and... somehow even _felt_ the same, if that made any sense. She had no idea how to describe it otherwise, though. Therefore, she returned to work.

As Homura took on another of the few remaining stains of soot, her 'sister' continued: "Wisdom is power, that is my belief. Others might be convinced of this as well, but it's still different. My ability of learning is far better than that of a human, so I can learn more in less time. Let's see..."

A few seconds of silence where Homura thought about what she just heard. Up until now, she thought Lilly's lack of combat abilities to be a side-effect of her human body. However, with her notion that she preferred to hide, to ambush and to gather information, it made sense for her to have an ability like this instead of raw power.

"For exampleee... remember the labyrinths Witches hide in? They have lots of stuff in them that most Magical Girls don't care about. It's obvious in most cases anyway, but if you actually looked at what it is, you could get an idea of what the Witch is or wants. Knowing that, fighting it might become easier. However, Magical Girls might need... a while to figure that out when I need about a minute, if not less."

She had a point there, Homura realised. She never paid this much attention to the barriers, but most of them did resemble either the appearance or the behaviour of the respective Witch when she thought about it in retrospect. That Lilly could distinguish it this fast was... a useful asset.

 _Though I wonder why she didn't tell me before..._

As she thought of that question, something her 'sister' had said half an hour ago came back to mind: _' "I'm as suspicious as you are, even about myself." '_

So maybe she was not sure on how Homura would react? Most likely, the time traveler found. Had Lilly told her about all of this and whatever she still kept to herself on the day she was born, she really might have decided to inform Tomoe Mami at once, deeming her 'twin' as too dangerous to be left alive.

"What I mean is that in these ten days, I learned as much as other people learn in two or three months. Combined with the knowledge I inherited from you, that makes for a powerful combination, especially with my own magic... magic... ah, there was one more thing I wanted to tell you about."

"Hm?"

It was after ten by now, the Magical Girl realised. The time had really been flying over their conversation. The stove was clean and what remained was the totally unusable frying pan.

With a sigh, Homura pulled it out of the sink and threw it in the wastebin, waiting for the Witch to continue.

"I extended my magic from time to space."

Now the time traveler was surprised. Her mask fell so Lilly could both feel and _see_ her surprise.

"Come again."

At that, her 'twin' cocked an eyebrow and shook her head. "You heard me."

So that really had been what she was saying. For a moment, the time traveler really thought that the other girl was joking, but it seemed as if she was serious. But then, how did she do it? No Magical Girl could manipulate two different things, so Witches should not be able to do it, either.

As Homura's thoughts remained racing and she did not give an answer altogether, Lilly sighed and emptied the bucket into the sink. "It's not that unexpected. I read in an article that time and space are the same on an energetic manner, so I just tried it. And it worked, though I need to practice a lot more to make this usable. Also, it takes a lot of power as of now, so I can't just train whenever I want to."

The additional information and her 'sister´s' calm voice had the Magical Girls' thoughts slow down again while she eyed the other girl with a wide variety of emotions. She had never expected there to be anything else but stopping time.

 _Wait._

A sudden realisation had her look at her own Soul Gem. When she saw that, Lilly voiced what Homura thought: "Yes, this seemingly unlimited capacity in your shield is also a result of bending space, so you actually have been doing it all the time without realising. Though I doubt that you could utilize it properly."

That might be true, especially when even the more powerful eldritch being had trouble with that. The time traveler sighed and looked at the Witch again. There was one last thing she wanted to know. "What exactly can you do with this extension?"

Lilly simply showed her a cheerful smirk. "Telekinesis."

Homura had heard of it. The power to move objects with one's mind alone. That did sound promising, just as what she had been told before did. However, she would not place her hopes on an unstable ability. As her 'sister' just stated herself, she needed to train it properly.

On the other hand and with everything that happened this day, she did not feel like thinking about it for much longer, so she sent the Witch a tired look. "We can discuss this some other time. I will go to bed now."

To that, she got something like a forgiving smile and a nod. "Yes, I'll be there in a second."

 **.**

This was the first night where Lilly did not almost press herself at Homura. Instead, she peacefully slept next to her with their shoulders barely touching. The time traveler did not really know what to think of that, but it felt nice.


	8. Just Who Do You Think You Are

They decided on Lilly not practicing her Telekinesis for now, mostly because the risk of getting seen by Kyubey was too high. However, the Witch kept their bond active for as long and as often as she could.

The next few days were rather peaceful. Both Madoka and Sayaka remained curious, but also cautious about the world they had been shown, so Lilly accompanied them at times to "protect them". Homura suspected something else, especially when she knew her 'sister´s' feelings for Madoka, but she did not say anything. Instead, she concentrated on leading Mami to places where she would definitely not encounter the other group. Since they formed a temporary team to see whether it worked out, this was rather easy to do although she really had to be careful. However, the older girl did not object when Homura volunteered to plan their routes.

Right now, the time traveler sat at a certain table and ate a certain cake while her new partner carefully looked over the route for today. After a few more seconds, Mami nodded with a smile. "This looks good. You are really good at planning, Akemi-san."

"It was nothing", she answered as usual, then layed down her fork. "It should be about time."

"Ah, yes. Shall we get going?"

Homura did not even need to reply. Instead, she rose to her feet and waited for the other girl to do the same. Apparently, she had understood that the time traveler's cold behaviour was not meant to offend her by now, so they got along rather well. Even when she knew that this might change at any moment, when Kyubey finally found out or either of the Akemis made a mistake. Tomoe Mami was sharp, so there was always a possibility for that to happen.

At least she could stay in contact with her 'sister'. As she had been told, their bond worked on waves just as cellphones and the like did, so Kyubey would most likely not notice. Also, Madoka's presence could overshadow Lilly's aura just fine, especially when she used only small amounts of energy.

 _'I really hate this... have to swallow two thirds every time I need more energy or the rat notices...'_

Also, they had reached a stage where they could directly speak to each other. It was rather quick, but apparently, this ability was one that grew fast.

Additionally, Homura could understand what the Witch meant now, seeing that she was told before just what exactly her statement was about. She could only release a set amount of her power with what she called a "Heartbeat", so most likely her Grief Seed releasing the eldritch might into her body from her heart. If she needed smaller amounts, she had to swallow the rest back down. And that was... disgusting. Two days before, the Witch sent her the feelings she had to endure every time she did it. As a result, the Magical Girl suffered a sore throat for a few hours and developed more respect towards her 'sister'. To believe that Lilly would go to such lengths for secrecy's sake was almost admirable.

Also, they noticed that her Witch-aura grew in strength when Lilly released more power. That was positive, seeing that she could at least hide while having some of her might ready at the same time.

As Homura left the apartement directly before Mami, she sent a telepathic answer at her 'sister': " _I rather have it like this than the Incubator already knowing."_

The reply came at once with what sounded like a smirk: ' _Yeah, says the girl that ruined the carpet because she couldn't hold against the feeling. Admit it, you're just happy that you don't need to endure that.'_

 _"I admit it."_

She flashed a smile upon feeling Lilly's anger. Since even their thoughts were connected, they had grown closer up to the point that Homura could actually enjoy her 'sister`s' presence. She did not worry about her having a secret agenda anymore, at least not often. After all, she realised that there had been one thing that remained true since the beginning; Homulilly was the same as Akemi Homura. They shared their body, their mindset, their memories, their will, their anger, sadness, despair and hope. They shared their love.

So when they were the same, there was no reason to be so cautious. The time traveler ever since accepted the fact that she would become aone of those eldritch creatures in the end. So when she had come to terms with it, why should she turn down the actual Witch she was to become?

There was no reason the raven-haired girl could think of. She was not yet at the point where she actually trusted Lilly, but she stopped to distrust her at least.

"Akemi-san? You look so deep in thought, did something happen?"

The curious question had her look to the side where Mami was walking. After a moment of consideration, she nodded. "It did. My sister and I had a few issues we could get out of the way not long ago."

"Ah, I see."

A small bit of envy flashed over the blonde's face, but it was gone as fast as it appeared. The other veteran was experienced with her own mask, Homura had to give her that.

"I'm glad that you get along again, then."

She nodded slightly, then concentrated at sending Lilly a message:

 _"Where are you right now?"_

While waiting for the answer, Homura sent the older girl next to her another glance. She did not let on about anything bothering her, just showing her usual confident smile. However, the time traveler knew her better than to fall for that facade. Actually, the other girl was almost melting from holding back. So to keep her appeased, she voiced something that had to happen eventually. "I shall introduce you to her once we have some time."

"Huh?"

While her partner returned her gaze in surprise, Lilly's answer came in: _'At the hospital, Miki wanted to come here. Besides, I think I found... you know whom. Kyubey is closeby, I assume.'_

Ah, right. They figured that the Witch of Sweets would appear around this time, so at least one of them kept an eye on the hospital whenever it was possible. At least it was unlikely that she was bound into place by Mami upon entering this time around, so there might be a good chance to save the blonde from almost certain doom.

"My, how nice of you. I am looking forward to meeting her then."

She received a smile that was more grateful than happy, but she did not mind at all. In fact, she acted as if she did not notice and nodded again. "So does she."

For different reasons, though. However, that was everything they spoke about for quite some time, seeing that Mami seemed to worry over letting Homura some space and the time traveler herself did not mind the silence at all. Especially when a certain Witch kept sharing her thoughts with her.

 _'Poor thing, she's... ten, maybe eleven. Looks like it's always the younger girls falling for Tomoe, be it her behaviour or her looks.'_

That was a rather cruel joke, but she did not really think it a bad one. It was not funny, but at least contained some truth. After all, she herself had fallen for that mask of confidence so long ago. Now she wore a mask of her own.

In a way, they were now rather similar, hiding away who they really were.

Apparently, she accidentally sent this thought to Lilly, who replied with a mental chuckle.

 _'You know, you're actually similar to Sakura Kyoko and Miki Sayaka, too. After all, your wish was for someone else as well. But of course, neither of them would want to be compared to you.'_

The Magical Girl sighed at hearing this and decided not to answer. Yes, the Witch was right on that matter. However, neither Miki nor Kyoko showed the dedication she carried. At the thought, her stride became more purposeful as they went towards the usual spots where Witches could be found.

 **. . .**

In another part of Mitakihara, three girls sat on a bench within the hospital, two of them waiting for their friend, the third sitting at a small distance and averting her gaze from them. However, her unkempt silver hair and the black bags under her yellowish red eyes had the pinkette next to her look in worry. Apparently, the smaller girl was somewhere deep in her own thoughts, not noticing them at all.

As Madoka moved to talk to the little one, a slender hand was placed on her shoulder and had her stop to look to the other side, where an unreadable face looked back at her. Lilly shook her head slightly, indicating for the other girl not to do it. However, the expression her secret love wore right now was more than enough to know that she would not give in, so the Witch sighed and whispered at her: "I tell you now that you will regret it."

She let go while her momentary protege looked at her almost chidingly for not wanting to help. However, it turned into surprise when she moved before the pinkette could, walking over to the grade schooler in her pink dress. Or was that a school uniform?

"Excuse me?"

She had no intention to be overly kind, but she could at least keep her manners. With all the sadness this girl emanated, she was definitely going to become a Witch not long after contracting. With her being here at the hospital, there was most likely a relative of hers that would die soon. So she had both cause and effect already figured out.

At first, the girl did not react. Only after Lilly lightly nudged her shoulder, she actually looked at her. "Hmmm?"

"Are you alright, young miss?"

She did not sound particularly kind, but she tried to make a reassuring impression. Though she expected to fail miserably, but whatever. The girl did not seem to mind, seeing that she took a few seconds to process the question and then nodded a few times in rapid succession. "Uh... yes, Nagisa's fine."

Of course she would answer like this. The Witch sighed inwardly and continued to look at the younger girl. She was well aware of Madoka observing the scene, but that did not stop her nature. She knew and her expression told Nagisa that she did. After a few seconds of nervous silence, she started to fidget with her uniform before adding something: "Actually... Nagisa is worried about her mother. She sleeps so much lately."

"Mhm..."

Lilly pondered that. If it was her mother, that made even more sense. By now, she was absolutely sure that this girl would become a Witch soon. Whether it was the Witch of Sweets or another one, she could not know yet. However, her frequent presence at this place indicated this.

As she continued to think, the girl continued: "She can't even eat cheesecake with Nagisa anymore..."

The statement had her stop and change her last train of thought; this was definitely the Witch of Sweets.

At this point however, Madoka chimed into the conversation by patting the younger girl's head with a bright smile. "Don't worry too much about it, Nagisa-chan. I'm sure your mother will be fine soon."

"Huh?"

As the girl looked up, the sheer kindness that swept over her from the pinkette had the sadness decrease a lot. Fortunately, neither of them saw Lilly's surprised expression since they were looking at each other. Nagisa smiled upon receiving affection and nodded. "Yes, you're right, miss. Thank you."

"Ah, don't mention it. What's your name?"

At that, her gaze wandered between the human-shaped Witch and the gentle pinkette, then she showed both of them a bright smile. "I'm Nagisa! Momoe Nagisa!"

Madoka smiled right back. "And I am Kaname Madoka. This is Akemi Yuri."

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Kaname-san and Akemi-san, alright!"

As she said that, one of the nurses waved at her and she practically jumped out of her seat. "Ah, I have to go. Thank you again!"

She bowed quickly and ran off, passing the returning Sayaka as she went. The blunette looked after the long silver hair in surprise, then turned back to her companions. By now, Lilly stood straight again. Once the third member of their small group reached them, she pointed towards where Nagisa went off to. "You know her?"

To that, Lilly nodded slightly. "Since five minutes ago. Though you surprised me a bit there, Kaname-san. I didn't think that you could cheer her up this much."

The statement had Sayaka laugh heartily and pat Madoka's shoulder. "Ahaha, you know, Madoka just has this something that makes people happy."

 _Tell me something new._

Of course she knew that the pinkette had this effect, she just did not expect it to work on a complete stranger. Though this had been a little girl, so...

"Good thing you talked to her, then", Sayaka added with a somewhat sad look. As she saw their questioning expressions, she elaborated: "I've heard the nurses talk about her on occassion. Her mom has cancer and can't be cured."

Upon hearing this, Madoka's expression fell. "A-Are you sure, Sayaka-chan?"

However, the blunette did not manage to answer. Lilly sighed and gained their attention with it. "See, that's what I meant. I don't blame you for trying to help, though."

Slowly, they got moving to leave the hospital while Sayaka looked from her to Madoka and back a few times. "What do you mean?"

Again, the human-shaped Witch sighed. "I have a good eye for people, so I already figured that it might turn out like this. Children are cheerful after the initial shock of a relative getting hospitalized. The only times where they look like this is when it takes a long time and gets worse."

She shook her head as they left the building, the other two looking at her. "As I said, I'm not blaming you. Maybe this girl can be happy for a few days again."

As Madoka started to look sad, her friend grabbed Lilly by her shoulder and turned her around to look at her eye to eye with fury in these blue orbs of hers. "Just who do you think you are?! Stop being mean to Madoka and stop hurting her!"

The surprise because of the sudden action had her stop for a single moment and simply stare at this daring girl, then her mind kicked in and formed an answer she would have loved to spit back at that cocky human...

 _I am Mortal World's Witch. I observe humans and understand why they act the way they do. I am a being far more majestic than you, Miki Sayaka._

Of course, she did not say that aloud. Instead, she silently returned the angry stare while Madoka already moved to stop the blunette. However, she did not get a word out before Lilly started to smirk. "Right, sorry. I'm used to have my realistic big sister around me, so I tend to forget that other people are more delicate than her."

It was a bit difficult to not continue glaring, but she somehow managed.

"Ah... okay." With that, the tomboy slowly let go of her shoulder and bowed slightly. "Well, uh... sorry for that."

She even apologized? How unusual. But that showed just how much this timeline was out of order.

"Don't mention it."

With another smirk, she started to move again, the pinkette and her friend following somewhat reluctantly. As no one said anything, Lilly used the pause to send Homura a message: " _We're leaving the hospital, I think I'll walk them home now. Besides, I think the girl I saw earlier will witch out tomorrow."_

It took a while until her 'sister' answered. Until she did, Lilly pondered just how much of an effect Madoka's kindness had had on this Nagisa-girl. She had not believed that anyone was capable to do this, but she should have expected it from this incredible, gentle, pink-haired girl she loved.

 _'Understood. We are at the construction site right now, so walk Miki home first.'_

 _"Roger that, Onee-chan."_

Even when it was a voice coming from her mind, the teasing tone was conveyed properly. She loved just how fast this ability had evolved to something that was really, really convenient. Homura did not respond, though.

"Say, Akemi."

"Hm?"

She turned her head to look at Sayaka who had her hands folded behind her neck and sent her a curious stare. "I'm just wondering... ah..."

 **. . .**

At first, she wanted to ask why the other girl was even walking with them. Then, her sense for etiquette hit her in the neck and stopped her. It was not nice to ask something like this when she even apologized before.

Of course, Sayaka was not the most thoughtful person, but she did not want to stir up trouble when there was no need to. Especially since Madoka apparently liked the transfer student, the blunette wanted to go a bit easy on her. She might not actually have liked her at first, seeing just how Yuri and her sister had acted around her childhood friend. However, with the younger twin effectively protecting them from Witches for the last few days, she had at least been able to get over her first impression. Which was a rarity.

After a while of thinking up a better question and failing miserably, she sheepishly scratched the back of her head and laughed. "You know what, never mind. It's not important anyway."

The other girl just nodded and turned her face back towards the road. Actually, Sayaka was glad about Yuri's not-so-caring attitude right now, seeing that it prevented a major insult or embarassment. But even then, she kept wondering... without even knowing about what. There was not an actual question she could ask about her, nothing coherent. She just wondered why this raven-haired girl felt so strange to be around. Maybe this was what Madoka meant with her question a few days ago... about them noticing the younger twin feeling somewhat off...

"It's getting late, so I will walk you home again. If you don't mind, that is."

As she heard that, Sayaka exchanged a glance with her friend and shrugged. "I don't mind, though that's quite the curfew you're putting us under."

She got a sideway glance and a snort. "The town can be dangerous at night, so you should be home before sunset."  
"Um... I don't mind, either. Thank you, Yuri-chan."

Madoka received a small nod and the transfer student stopped for a moment to take in her surroundings. Then, she turned around. "Today, Miki-san will be the first to get home. Objections?"

There were none. After all, it was only fair when they walked Madoka home first the day before.

"None? Good. Lead the way, then."

With a slight bow, Yuri had the blunette take the lead. Sayaka did not really mind, especially when the other girl might not exactly know where she lived yet. Or not remember correctly.

As they went in the falling sun's rays, silence remained for several minutes and Sayaka thought more about the strange girl walking behind her. Something was off, but she could not put it. And the more she thought, the more her head hurt, but she did not reach any viable conclusion. After a while, she discarded the thought and felt good to be done with it. Fortunately, Madoka chose this moment to break the silence: "Say, Yuri-chan..."

"Hm?"

As the tomboy looked behind herself, she saw the other two walking next to each other with Yuri casting a sideway glance at the smaller pinkette, who looked at her quizzically. "I just wondered... you said that Witches were bad before, but then there is a Witch that actually helps the Magical Girls..."

She did not continue, but her question was obvious. And it brought Sayaka back to that topic as well. By now, she felt as if what happened a few days ago was more like a dream than a real event. However, they did little detours at times and she was not so stupid as to believe those to be anything but meant to prevent any Witch from getting close to them. At least she figured that this was the reason.

Had she heard about Magical Girls in another context, Sayaka realised, she might have jumped at the opportunity and joined them. As she was introduced by what happened in this field instead of what one could do with this magic, she felt more inclined not to do it.

Of course, the transfer student told them a few things that were possible with magic and how exactly those contracts worked yesterday, but the blunette still felt as if there was something amiss in her explanation.

However, she could not continue pondering that question, seeing that the raven-haired girl sighed heavily. "Look, there are as many different Witches as there are different humans. However, there is a main difference between the two; Witches consist of the negative spectrum of human emotions. Greed, envy, hatred, maybe even lust. They do not hope, know no happiness except their own, twisted version of it. As such, you can say that every Witch is a monster by birth."

Madoka looked down after hearing that. As Sayaka knew her, she thought that it might be possible to get along with those creatures. Of course that was impossible. She was sure of that.

"However."

Oh, what would come now?

Now, both of them got a hard stare. Wait, why was she glared at as well?

"As some philosophers of old put it: 'Man is not born good or bad, but with the ability to choose between them'. So even when Witches are what many call evil, they can overcome their nature by triumphing over those emotions of theirs with the power of their will. Unfortunately, there are very few actually capable of doing that."

Now, the glare became a smirk. "The unknown Witch that kills her own kin seems to be one of those."

The elaborate explanation was difficult to understand, at least in Sayaka's opinion. She did get what the other girl meant, but that could definitely have been said in easier words.

"Say, why's this so difficult?", the blunette inquired further while walking backwards, once in a while looking behind her to make sure there was nothing coming her way. Yuri just looked at her. Looked with a disbelieving expression and then laughed. "Really now, isn't this obvious?"

A sideway glance was sent Madoka's way, but she got a curious expression there as well and sighed.

"I guess not. Say, why are you Sayaka? What makes you Sayaka and why don't you change to become... let's say Madoka?"

"Huh?"

What was that? Those questions were strange because the answer was... natural. However, even when she opened her mouth to respond, no words came out. She could not think of anything.

As the silence went on for a while, the raven-haired girl sighed again. "See? You take your own being for granted and don't see any reason to change, right? There's nothing wrong with how you are, so you don't feel the need to do so in any way."

As she said it, Yuri grimaced and clasped her hands behind her back as the other two stared at her in confusion. The tomboy was rather glad that her gentle friend did not understand it, either.

"Good grief... it is the same with Witches; in their opinion, there is nothing wrong with what they do, seeing that they lack both human morals and positive emotions. So when there is nothing wrong, why change? Why stop being the way you like? There is no reason except if you realise that there _is_ something wrong about you. Only very few humans are actually capable of reflecting on the problems in themselves and the same goes for Witches."

With the face she made, the lecture seemed to be over. But even then, all of this was hard to get her head around, Sayaka found. At first, it sounded so easy. But the moment she started to think about it, it became more difficult to understand. Fortunately, Madoka was smarter than she was as she started to ask: "So basically... Witches are evil because they don't see anything wrong with what they do?"

The transfer student nodded at the pinkette, but added something after a moment of consideration. "Granted, there are some that act while knowing just what harm they do, but there are humans like that as well."

"I... see..."

Madoka did not look happy, but she seemed to understand at least. Sayaka had some more trouble with that, but she decided to think about it more later on. However, there was something off about what they were told right now... and after a while of thinking about that matter, she realised what it was.

By now, they had walked about three fourths of the distance, so Sayaka would seperate from the other two soon. Which meant that she had to ask quickly. At least that was no problem since her companions remained silent for a while now. Knowing Madoka, she might still feel a bit uncomfortable around the new girl. Why Yuri kept quiet... no idea.

"One more thing, Akemi."

"Yes?"

She did not sound really interested, but Sayaka did not bother herself with thinking about the reason. Instead, she asked her new question: "Now why exactly do you know all this stuff? Is that, like, common knowledge among Magical Girls or something?"

This actually got a reaction out of the other girl; a surprised stare followed by an amused smirk that somehow made her a bit proud for having defeated whatever thoughts this girl had about her before.

"Now that was a good question. No, this is not common knowledge. However, Homura is a veteran and fought countless Witches. You just start to notice certain things if given enough time. And while she might be my big sister, I'm the smarter twin, so I took the information she gave me and created a hypothesis. By now, it has never been falsified, so the chance of me being right is high."

That sounded a bit different than before, no longer a certainty but a probability. However, Sayaka still did not know what to make of it. Now there was the chance that this explanation Yuri gave them before was wrong, but how could she tell when she never even saw a Witch?

As she kept pondering this, they reached her home and parted ways. The blunette and Madoka exchanged waves, then she vanished inside the building and went for the elevators. All the time thinking about what this transfer student told them before, her bag simply hanging at her side.

No matter how much she thought about it, she still felt as if she did not get it.

However, there was not much time to continue thinking, seeing what awaited her when she unlocked the door of her family's flat. Of course her parents were not home yet, but it looked as if they put something for her on the table. Though... she was not sure why.

 _Is this... a plushed animal?_

She quickly threw her bag on the couch, then crouched in front of the table and took a closer look at the thing that sat there. If this was a toy, she had never seen one like this before; it had white fur and a fluffy tail, but two sets of ears... one that looked like cat-ears and the other pair was as long as those of a rabbit. Additionally, it had golden rings around the rabbit-ears at some point.

Also, the look from its eyes was unnerving somehow. It seemed to stare right into her very soul.

 _Just what... and why..._

Why would her parents -or anyone, for that matter- give her a stuffed animal, especially one that looked as creepy as this one? Madoka came to mind, seeing how many stuffed toys the pinkette had, but her friend preferred cuteness... and she would have just given it to her instead of putting it here.

As she was face to face with that thing, she noticed something else a moment later: it blinked.

 _Wha..._

With a suppressed scream, Sayaka fell backwards and crouched away from that not-so-lifeless thing as it tilted its head. Then, a high-pitched voice echoed in her head, sounding somewhat cheerful as her back hit the wall: _'Good evening, Miki Sayaka. Please don't feel alarmed, there is no need to be afraid of me.'_

As it spoke, the tomboy rubbed her eyes and looked at it again. Sadly, it did not just vanish like the trick she thought her mind played on her.

"You... are you for real?"

 _'But of course! I'm sorry for suddenly appearing in your home. My name is Kyubey!'_

It did not move its mouth, it just sat there swishing its tail back and forth. However, when the surprise subsided and her brain started working again, Sayaka's eyes narrowed. Could this be...?

"Are you the guy going around making contracts to create Magical Girls?"

Her suspicion was answered in the the same cheery voice: _'Indeed I am, it's good that you already know. I take it that Akemi Yuri informed you about me?'_

She nodded slowly. So those two knew each other?

 _'Would you mind telling me what exactly she told you? I'm curious about whether she stated everything correctly.'_

Again with this unnerving expressionlessness. Kyubey just stared at her from those red eyes, blinking once in a while and waiting. After a while of them looking at each other, Sayaka sighed and sat down at the table with her legs crossed. She could tell him to go away, but here she had an opportunity to find out if what the other girl said was true, even when it might be dangerous.

"She said that your contract consists of you fulfilling a wish of a girl, then create a... um..."

She had forgotten the term. However, her uninvited guest helped her out: _'Could you mean a Soul Gem?'_

"Ah, yes. Thank you. So, you create a Soul Gem for that girl and she has to fight Witches until she dies."

That was about it, the other stuff was way too much to summarize it right now, especially when Sayaka only got her head around half of it.

 _'I see. This is about right, though the emphasis on the wish seems to be missing. I can fulfill almost any wish one has, provided the girl in question has enough potential when it comes to more elaborate wishes.'_

Then, he turned his head a bit and rose to his feet. _'But I have not come here just to converse with you. You see, you do have the potential necessary to become a Magical Girl.'_

As he said it, Sayaka's head shot up and she looked at the small creature in surprise. But why was she so surprised when the transfer student told her just that days ago already? Whatever the reason, she shook her head at once, very well remembering what she had been told. "Nope, not going to happen. I'm not one for fighting all my life... especially when I don't have a wish I would fight for."

The idea of being a fighter for justice was promising, but she could not possibly throw her life away. Yuri had given them a short speach about what they were to lose if they made the contract. Sayaka somewhat understood that this really meant to sacrifice anything for the one thing they wished for. And as she just said, there was nothing she could possibly want that was worth this.

Kyosuke came to mind for a moment, but she still believed him to have chances on healing naturally, so that would not happen.

 _'That is very unfortunate, then. However, should you change your mind, just call my name.'_

With that, Kyubey leaped down from the table and walked towards a rather shadowy corner, then turned around to meet Sayaka's gaze that followed him. _'I have to continue looking for girls that are inclined to form the contract with me. Have a good night, Sayaka.'_

After that, he went into the darkness and vanished, leaving behind a really, really confused middle-schooler.


	9. Kindness Is a Strength Not Many Possess

Once they parted with Sayaka, conversation had died down almost completely. There was not much they could tell each other, even when Lilly had a lot to say. But she could not voice any of it lest she might scare off Madoka. Instead, the Witch kept quiet and walked freely under the rising moon's light. Night had fallen not long ago and she started to feel better already. She just liked the darkness more.

"Um... Yuri-chan?"

"Hm?"

As she was spoken too, she turned her head questioningly to meet a curious, pink gaze. "I just wondered... could it be that you are a night-person?"

As the human-shaped Witch cocked an eyebrow, the smaller girl quickly raised her hands defensively. "Um... I mean... it's just... um... you look so... relaxed all of a sudden..."

She stopped when Lilly's frown changed into a smirk and she was nodded at. "You're right. I do like the night a lot more than the day. Shame that I can't see much of it."

"Oh, so that's how it is... um... you see, I'm not so fond of the night, I'm always a bit scared there might be something out there I can't see watching me..."

An amused snort escaped the Witch as she shook her head in disbelief. It was cute of Madoka and a good sign that she opened up a bit, but...

"There is always something you can't see, even in broad daylight. However, in the dark, there is a good chance that it can't see you, either. Besides, technically, there are Witches out there, maybe you felt their presence when you were younger. I've heard that children can sense a lot more than adults."

Whether this was true, she did not know. However, she had noticed a few of the smaller ones look at her with actual fear, as if they could sense the danger emanating from her. Also, the pinkette was not entirely wrong with what she said; after all, Homura kept watching her from the shadows.

Madoka thought about this statement for a while and silence regained its grasp on them. As they went, Mortal World's Witch was rather glad that Madoka was with her today. This way, she could both take in her sweet scent -which she should not do all to often, she remembered- and stay in contact with Homura. Miki Sayaka had far too less potential to mask her presence.

However, her 'sister' had not said anything for quite some time. Maybe she should remind her that she was here.

 _"Where are you right now?"_

It took a while until she got an answer, though Lilly did not worry about it. _'We found half a dozen Familiars and a full-grown Witch on our way. However, this should be it. I'm at the bridge close to home.'_

 _"I see. That's..."_

Her thought stopped when she heard Madoka's phone ring out in the silence, instantly perking to attention.

The pinkette quickly pulled out the device from her pocket, looking at the caller-id for a moment before answering: "Yes, Sayaka-chan? Did something happen?"

However, her own 'call' demanded attention at this point, so she could not listen in on the two humans' conversation. _'Lilly? Are you alright?'_

Was that actual worry? It sounded like it, which made the Witch feel a bit warmer at once. Then she answered: _"Yes, I am. Just got distracted. Once I brought Madoka home, I'll head back as well. Mind cooking something?"_

At first, something akin to disbelief came in, then she got an actual reply: _'I do mind, but I will still do it. Besides, you should prepare yourself to meet Tomoe Mami within the next few days.'_

 _"Understood. I'm looking forward to your cooking, then."_

She got the equivalent of a sigh and that was it. But Lilly had not even lied; she really wanted to taste what her 'sister' was to make. However, something else she wanted to t...

 _Have to stop with those stupid metaphors..._

Madoka had stopped and was looking at her. "Yuri-chan? Sayaka-chan wants to talk to you..."

She held out her cellphone to the Witch, who took it gingerly and held it towards her ear. Though after a moment of consideration, she decided to activate the speakers so that the pinkette could listen in as well. From the look of it, she was worried about her friend.

"Miki-san?"

"Ah, finally! There's something I want to ask you, Akemi."

She sounded a bit... confused. Maybe something happened when they left her... the facts formed a new hypothesis in Lilly's mind and she did not like it. She did absolutely not like it. But she could not show that right now, so she just went on with the conversation.

"Sure, just ask."

"Um... this thing you told us about... was it white, about the size of a cat and with deep, red eyes?"

At the description, her own eyes narrowed and the expression she wore now had Madoka take a step back. "Yes... why?"

"Um... you see... that thing was here until a minute ago"

Apparently, even Sayaka had caught on the danger in Lilly's voice, seeing that she became reluctant. However, it was not a good idea to be too intimidating, so the Witch sighed and tried to get the edge out of her voice and her gaze lest she might scare off Madoka for real this time...

"So? What happened?"

The pinkette was listening intently as well, her hands clasped together as her childhood friend started to explain.

"Well... ah... it... he wanted me to form a contract, but I said no. Uh... and he asked about you."  
At first, she was relieved that the idiot had done something smart for once. When the last part of the statement came however, she felt her feet go numb. This was not good. Kyubey was up to something and when it started investigating, it would not take much longer until it understood what exactly Akemi Yuri was. Though its curiousity might bring her another few days, seeing that the Incubator would want to find out how she came into existence. But on the other hand, she should not speculate on that.

So instead, she forced the feeling of dread away and sighed again. "Good thing you listened to me, then. What exactly did Kyubey want to know?"

It took a few seconds for the blunette to answer. It sounded as if she was confused herself.

"Uh... he asked what exactly you told us about Magical Girls and stuff."

"And that's all?"

"...Yes. Why, thought he'd ask something else?"

She was a bit suspicious now. This was strange and made no sense, going by its regular behaviour. Besides, she should be more careful. Miki Sayaka was an idiot, but unfortunately not stupid.

"Yes, I thought so. This creature is not used to someone working against it, so I figured it would try to gather as much information as possible."

That was true, after all. And the more uncomfortable she could make those two feel about Kyubey, the less likely it was for it to get them to contract.

"Uh... okay... nah, whatever. Do you think I'll be alright?"

She sounded worried and so looked Madoka. However, this situation became more and more surreal. How did she manage to get on Sayaka's good side to the point that she could give her advice? Though... maybe she did not. However, she was the only expert the blunette could ask right now and since Lilly made sure to emphasize the "fighting for the rest of your life"-part a lot, she was cautious. Good.

Now wearing an unreadable expression, the human-shaped Witch sighed once again and nodded at Madoka to calm her first. After all, the pinkette was far more important.

"Yes, you will. Even when Kyubey is eager to form contracts with as many girls as is possible, he will not just make one without granting a wish of yours before. You should be careful, though: he will definitely talk to you again."

"Alrighhht... Don't worry, then. I'll just say no again and that's it... right?"

At this optimistic outlook, she just shook her head with a disbelieving smile that had Madoka tilt her head questioningly. "Yes it is, granted that you actually turn him down."

"'Course I will!... well, I don't want to hold you up any longer. See you tomorrow, Akemi."

"Very well. Good night, Miki."

Since the blunette called her by her last name only, Lilly decided to do likewise. When she had hung up, she returned the phone to her companion, who took it somewhat gingerly. As they started moving again, she reluctantly adressed the topic: "You didn't look convinced that Sayaka-chan will turn this Kyubey-person down."

She was given a sideway glance and a sigh as Lilly lowered her head ever so slightly.

 _Of course not. This stupid idiot contracts every time, no matter what is done to prevent it and the only successfull way of stopping her from that so far is to kill her before she does it... which is even worse._

Of course she did not say that out aloud. Her words were different, focussed on scaring Madoka away from contracting without keeping her in the dark: "Kyubey is very skilled in manipulating people. Miki-san would not be the first to fall for one of his traps."

Since the contract itself was a giant trap, this was definitely true, at least from Lilly's point of view. However, she felt bad for making Madoka worry about her friend so much. Though it was better this way. If she did not, the pinkette might do something stupid.

"So you think Sayaka-chan would..."

She stopped as the Witch sighed and shook her head. Of course she _knew_ what would most likely happen, but she could not bear this fearful expression. The only thing she could do as to not jump this girl and hug her was to have the gears in her head turn faster and faster, induldging in other trains of thoughts.

"Please don't speculate over this kind of thing. I'm doing that far too much already. Don't worry, though: Kyubey's main method of recruiting is not going to work. Contracting a girl when she is facing certain death... well, however, since Homura and I are around, he can't do that."

"Um..."

Carefully including knowledge about how the Incubator worked... and with the stream of information she provided, no one would actually believe that Lilly held something back. She showed Madoka a gentle smile and nodded at her. "As I said, don't worry."

At least she smiled back, even when the sorrow in her eyes was still clearly visible. Oh, how much she wanted... _focus, Witch!_

She almost screamed that out aloud, so much did being around the kind girl put her off. _I see, that's why you stay away from her, Homura..._

It was just too hard to be around this girl she loved without her even suspecting anything and just as she thought of her 'sister', Madoka voiced another question: "Say, Yuri-chan..."

The gaze the Witch sent her was telling her to continue, so she did after a moment: "Homura-chan... what is she doing? Does she fight Witches when she separates from you?"

That went without saying, though Lilly knew what the pinkette meant. She wanted to know if her 'sister' would get hurt. So she might as well ease her worries, giving her another smile.

"You know... I'm sure she would appreciate your worry as well, but there is no need to, really. Yes, she does fight Witches. However, she is now allied with another Magical Girl and even alone, no Witch can stand against her."

As Lilly told her that, Madoka's eyes went a bit wider. "Is Homura-chan really that strong?"

Stronger than the pinkette imagined right now, she guessed. This was something Lilly took pride in as well; the girl she originated from was even beyond the other veteran Magical Girls, surpassed only by those that harboured so much potential that a wish of theirs could ring in a new age.

Therefore, she gave the smaller girl a thought- and cheerful nod. "Yup, definitely. In fact, I think that she could overthrow a small dictatorship all by herself."

Counting just how many weapons and explosives the time traveler gathered already, this was definitely a possibility. How unfortunate that Walpurgis was more than just a small dictatorship.

Madoka on her part looked down and mumbled something: "I already guessed that Homura-chan was strong, but like this..."

At this point, they almost reached the Kaname-residence. However, Lilly was unable to hold back any longer, so she established what physical contact she could manage without disturbing her temporary protege... so she patted her shoulder a few times.

"Don't think about it too much. And before you ask: no, I can't tell you why she became so strong. Maybe she does if you ask nicely, though."

Of course Homura would not answer, not after what happened last time. But in the end, this was merely a means of establishing contact between them.

Homulilly loved Kaname Madoka. However, she knew that with her being an anomaly and a Witch, there was no hope for anything that lasted. Also, she inherited Homura's believe that the pinkette deserved better.

In difference to the Magical Girl though, Lilly already had the perfect person in mind; She would make sure that Kaname Madoka fell for Akemi Homura.

Looking at herself from an outside perspective helped a lot in terms of understanding. Her 'sister' cared for this girl to the point that she would willingly throw her life away if it saved her.

So who else should be the one to care for her. That made perfect sense to Lilly.

"I...I'm not sure that she would... I don't even know if Homura-chan likes me..."

As they entered the alley where Madoka lived, she received a doubtful stare from the Witch. How far from the truth...

"Believe me, she does. However, she's used to lose those close to her, so she would never let on about it."

The other girl looked to the ground now, displaying a sad expression while clasping her hands together around the handle of her bag. "Hearing all this... you had a hard life, hadn't you?"

For that, she was patted on the shoulder again while Lilly tried to cheer her up... somewhat. "Now, now. We manage... at least I do. However, there is something you could do for Homura..."

As she said that, Madoka looked up in surprise. Apparently, she did not expect to be able to help. "Really? How?"

Lilly just smiled at her somewhat mischievously, though that was mostly due to imagining the scene if it worked. "When there is a good moment, give her a hug."

"Huh?

Hueeh?!"

At the suggestion, her companion's face flushed in a deep scarlet and she looked somewhere else after a moment of returning Lilly's gaze in disbelief. The human-shaped Witch sighed inwardly. Of course that had to happen. Why were the Japanese so strange when it came to physical contact?

She knew the reason, of course. However, she was not happy about it at this very moment.

"B-B-But... I barely know her, so... wouldn't that be... too much?"  
As Madoka tried to get the whole sentence out, Lilly's mind kicked in and bisected the choice of words. The girl had thought about doing it for at least a moment. What held her back was mostly her strangeness with Homura. That was good, very good. It made her task a bit easier.

Lilly smiled at the pinkette reassuringly.

"Kindness is a strength not many possess. And Homura has barely had any given to her at all, so in this case, really... there is no need to be shy."

Of course, this implicated that Lilly had not given her much herself, but Madoka had no chance to ask for this; they reached her home and her guide stopped walking, raising her hand to wave her goodbye. "That's that for today, then. It was fun talking to you, Kaname-san. See you tomorrow."

"Oh... uh... yes. Thank you for walking me home, Yuri-chan."

She received a grateful smile and a small bow that had her squeal on the inside, though it did not show on her face. Lilly just returned the smile and turned around. "No problem. Good night."

"Yes, good night to you too!"

She walked away and vanished within the darkness, going home herself now. Fortunately it was dark or otherwise someone might have seen her almost lunatic smirk, dark and completely pleased with herself.

In the best case, she had just set up her 'sister' with the girl she loved.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

While Homura was busy with preparing dinner, she pondered the situation. Everything went better than she expected up until now, but they had to be careful. It would not get easier for the remainder of the month.

With a sigh, the time traveler took another look at the meal that was almost done and decided that it was alright. Stew was not that hard to make and Tomoe Mami had taught her the basics in a timeline long gone, so Lilly had to live with that.

But even then, she could not stop to worry; her 'sister' had broken the bond about ten minutes ago. That meant that Madoka was at home and safe, so the Witch headed back as well. At least she should do, but Homura could not find out whether she actually did. This bond could only be established from the other end, as was the magic-synchronisation the Witch used. That was rather unfortunate, the Magical Girl found. But at the same time, she was not one to complain. Instead, she took everything as it came, thus preventing herself from lamenting too much. Up until now, it served her well although she might have given in to Lilly a bit too soon because of that fact.

However, it was far too late to ponder her decision in this matter anyway; this little Witch had grown on her already and Homura would not let anyone hurt her.

With a sigh, she put the stove on a smaller temperature to keep the dinner warm. All that was left was for her 'sister' to return. Taking into account that it was about twenty minutes from the Kaname-residence to this place, she should arrive within the next five minutes.

 _When have I started to hold her dear..._

This could become a massive problem and the time traveler was well aware of that. So far, neither of them knew whether Lilly could actually leap trough time like Homura did, so if this timeline was another failure, they might need to part ways. The same could happen anyday if Tomoe found out, though it was more probable that the other Magical Girl died in case of a fight.

Even when she would not believe it two weeks ago, but by giving her this Witch born from herself, Madoka gave her a small piece of happiness she never expected to have before; a family.

"I'm home!"

Speaking of Witch, there she was. However, Lilly stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Homura respond for the first time since she started announcing her return a few days prior: "Welcome back!"

As the Magical Girl walked towards the door, she saw her 'sister' standing there with a surprised look that dissipated after a few more seconds. She put away her shoes and placed her bag next to Homura's, then went into the living room with an interested expression. "That smells good. What do we have for dinner?"

Instead of answering, the time traveler went to wash her hands while Lilly started peaking at their meal. As she reemerged from the bathroom, the Witch did the same and they went to eat right after.

Although... Homura did cook enough for six people, but even when she herself had finished her portion, the girl sitting opposite to her continued downing spoonful after spoonful with a speed that would put even Sakura Kyoko to shame. Needless to say that it was impossible for her to speak like this.

"Could you activate the bond again? There is something I wonder about."

"Huh?"  
Lilly stopped for a moment to take in what exactly had been said, then nodded. "Sure."

As the bond formed again, the Witch already continued her meal. No matter how often Homura felt it though, it remained unusual; this slight sensation of feeling something on the outside of herself, it being but a small touch of their consciousness and yet enough to make her able to feel so much through it.

It was different to how the Incubator did it; not just messages that were translated, sent and retranslated. They were at the core of this kind of communication now, being able to transmit even their emotions to the respective other. For example could she feel Lilly's pleasure with eating the stew right now as well as a certain amount of worry further down, close to the edge of their connection.

 _'So, what was it that you wanted to know?'_

Ah, right. She should go and ask her question now that the contact was established.

 _"I wondered what exactly distracted you back then. You seemed to be talking to Madoka, so I kept quiet."_

From the amount of glee and love she felt floating through the bond, there was little chance it had been someone else. The Witch just smirked and nodded while lowering the spoon again.

 _'I guess Kyubey is going on the offensive now. It established contact with Miki Sayaka after we parted ways at her home.'_

 _"I see."_

So that had been it. Actually, Homura guessed something like this, but she needed confirmation before she could decide on what to do.

 _'Don't worry, though. I scared them both so much in that regard that Kyubey alone won't be able to convince them. However, we have to think about what to do with that Kamijou-boy.'_

Now the thoughts got a thoughtful note, even when this sounded redundant: _'Theoretically, I could just go and kill him and no one would ever know...'_

Of course she thought about that. Homura had done so herself on several occassions in the past, but it never seemed worthwile. Also, she was not that kind of person that would shun others for pondering something she had had in mind herself.

 _"That's of no use. Either Kyubey notices you or something else goes wrong. And even if not, Miki Sayaka will most likely swear vengeance to whoever did it and go on a goosehunt."_

At the remark, she could feel Lilly's amusement and see her smile. The Witch was almost done with her last portion and slowed down to savor it.

 _'This would be fun to watch if we had no agenda of our own. Besides, my compliment for this stew. You have to show me how to make that... it's a shame that I completely lost the knowledge of how to cook when I was born.'_

Homura just shrugged and rose to her feet to clear away the dishes. It was strange what of her knowledge had remained in Lilly anyway; almost everything about everyday life was gone while fighting, magic and most memories of the events in Mitakihara remained. Also, every last memory of Madoka was there.

 _'But back to the topic at hand: will we do anything about Kyubey?'_

Another shrug, even when it remained unseen due to the time traveler being in the kitchen now. _"No, this is not necessary. I doubt that she is stupid enough to give in so easily. Getting rid of Kyubey is not worth the time. Instead, we should focus on keeping the girls out of harms way. This promises better results anyway."_

There came nothing for a while, Lilly just brought the pot with her when she entered the kitchen as well.

 _'You know... Being in the defense can bring an advantage because you can prepare, but being in the offense is easier because you just need to overpower your opponent and win.'_

At the disbelieving stare she was getting, her 'sister' quickly raised her hands in a means of defending herself. _'I know that it's not this easy to summarize, but still...'_

Her eyes became somewhat wistful.

 _'Just imagine this... killing off Walpurgis with ease and everything is fine... at those points in time, I do hate my realism...it stops me from dreaming.'_

 _"From the sound of it, you do dream."_ , Homura interrupted the unrestrained flow of thoughts, thus gaining Lilly's attention. _"And so do I. However, both of us lack the ability to make our dreams come true this easily. We have to fight for that."_

They looked at each other for a few seconds, two girls of the same appearance, clad in their school uniforms and with identical magical power within them. At the last statement, both of their eyes had become iron again, though Homulilly wore a confident smirk while Homura displayed her usual blank expression.

The one addition that her previous statement missed, she did not need to make. To anyone else it might have been necessary, but this Witch understood her perfectly fine.

 _We have to fight for that. And we will, even if it is for an eternity._

A silent vow she herself made long ago, giving up on her own happiness for Madoka's sake. Her life continued because her task was not over. Once it was done, Akemi Homura would vanish, either by her own hand or because she became a Witch.

By being the Witch she was to become, Lilly understood all of that as it was a part of herself as well.

However, the moment passed and both of them got moving again.

 **. . .**

Somewhere else in Mitakihara, a small pinkette was looking out of her window deep in thought, clad in yellow pyjamas and with her pigtails undone. She had her arms rested on the windowsill and placed her head on top of them, sighing deeply upon recalling everything that happened the previous days. The Akemi-twins, Magical Girls, Witches and magic...

It sounded so strange to think about it, but Madoka firmly believed in all of that being real. There was no reason not to when Sayaka did the same.

As she thought about her friend, the girl's mind filled with worry. Would she really be alright?

However, Yuri's words had something soothing as the pinkette recalled them; the twins would watch over them, so there was nothing to worry about.

But even then, Madoka still had the feeling that something was off about the younger sister. Strangely, this feeling was completely absent around Homura even when she barely had any contact with the other transfer student as of yet. Yes, she was intimidated by the older twin, but that was something else. Besides, she believed her new friend that her sister did not do it on purpose.

Then again, Yuri's suggestion returned to her mind and had Madoka blush again. How could she do something as intimate as hugging someone she barely knew? That was for close friends and family...

But even then, for no apparent reason... she did not mind.

The thought had the girl sit straight and blush even more. She could not think of this as wrong, even if she knew she should. In fact, it felt almost natural to want to hug this girl that was so cold... so... lonely?

So this was what bothered her for a while now, Madoka realised: Yuri felt off, but Homura just emanated something she was unable to distinguish since she met her those few days ago. The Magical Girl wore this cold and stony expression and her eyes were sharp, yet dull.

As she was staring into the night's sky, an understanding hit her. Akemi Homura was not normal by any means. And not even this hidden world of magic could explain the change.

 _Just... what exactly happened to her?_

Yuri said that the only one she could ask that question was Homura herself. So maybe... she should.

With a sigh, Madoka pushed herself off the windowsill and fell backwards onto her bed. With her right hand, she patted her large elephant-plushie affectionately and started to smile again.

Kaname Madoka was a curious being, and now her curiousity about this stoic girl had awoken. She wanted to know.

Yes, she would be friends with Akemi Homura.

The thought had her smile grow brighter. She was excited to make a new friend soon.

 **.**

 **. . .**

[The Scheming Witch]

First Act: End

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

So what did we learn up until now? Exactly:

Homulilly: rooting for MadoHomu since "The Rebellion Story"

I wonder what the next act will contain? Will there be an epic showdown between Mami and Yuri? Or is Madoka going to fall like the Witch planned?

Maybe we will even switch to the Magical Girls of the End for a while... though... no, not really. I've read that manga partly and it is not that good. In my opinion, at least.

Well, whatever is to come... stay tuned!


	10. Why Am I Alive?

With a growl, Lilly sat up and looked around. It was still dark and the clock showed that it was a few minutes past four.

She had woken up from nothing. Or did she just missed the memory of what woke her? Did she have nightmares without remembering any of it?

With a sigh, the Witch looked down at the silhouette next to her. Homura was sleeping peacefully, another rarity. On most nights, she started thrashing around at some point and this was about the only evidence of the nightmares of the past haunting her.

 _I really should get some more sleep... but..._

With another sigh, Lilly got to her feet and went for the kitchen with the light tapping of her feet on the floor being the only noise around. It was not directly cold, but definitely chilly although that might also be because she decided not to wear clothes as she slept. The only thing flowing around her bare figure was her hair as it gently tickled her skin.

She was hungry once again.

While the human-shaped Witch pillaged the fridge, she also thought about this habit of hers. In eating all of this food these past two weeks, she barely gained as much energy as she would have from eating four to five human souls. Was this really worth it? Or should she just get over her pride and go to hunt these lowly creatures?

Then again, what would Madoka think of her if she ever learned of it? No, this was definitely no good.

With a few pieces of ham in her hands, she closed the fridge and took a seat at the table in the living room, shuddering when the cold chair touched her bare skin. She dismissed the feeling.

Darkness crept through her head at this time of the night, but she still liked this a lot more than daytime. It was now that she felt safe, with no need to be careful or to hide herself. The dark veiled her very being and made her feel at ease even when the sound of her chewing echoed in the empty kitchen, at least for her.

However, her contentment did not last for long; once she was actually awake, her mind started to work faster while she nibbled on her snack. All the events of this last day came rattling through it, being analysed and thought about. Had she really done the right thing in involving those two?

With every passing day, Lilly's doubts increased. Maybe Homura was right and it was impossible to stop Madoka from contracting?

Thinking about the gentle pinkette had her stop chewing and pause, watching the clouded sky through the window, taking in the sight of this vast realm that was beyond her reach. The stars were interesting to many, but everything beyond Earth was merely a concept or a distant idea to her. She was Mortal World's Witch, what should she care about other worlds?

But even then, she could feel her heart beating steadily, sensed the silence of the night. Lilly was alive and yet she felt more as if she was dead.

As she looked down at her hands, one of them still holding some meat, the Witch understood something; her kin was not made for this kind of body. It was too small, too... permanent. Her power was limited and her Grief Seed a part of this organism... it was not created because of a new rule in this universe but because an existing rule had been broken... or maybe someone cheated around it?

 _I see..._

In these two weeks that passed now, she understood something rather well: she did not like this body and if she could, she would exchange it for her actual appearance at any time.

Yes, Homulilly longed for her own body, not this copy she had. Because it was Homura's though, she could at least bear with it. Homura and Madoka, those were the only humans she could accept as her equals.

But then again, why was she lying to the girl who's body she had? Why could she not tell her that she was afraid? Afraid of being found out, afraid of having to fight... afraid of dying.

It was easy to kill other Witches. Her flames reacted to magic alone and their barriers consisted of just that. So once it was around them and they could not escape or put it out, they were done for.

However, a Magical Girl could easily evade her or get the fire extinguished before it did substantial damage. She could not even stop time and spray fire on the girl until she would definitely die from the amount, seeing that those flames alone were not influenced by her time magic. Since it died off rather quickly if not sprayed on something it could actually burn, there was no way to accumulate the flames around an opponent.

So in other words: she was almost helpless against Magical Girls even when she could kill Witches without any effort.

As the last piece of meat vanished in her mouth, the Witch remained still like a statue and continued to think. She tried to do so at least, but her mind was filled with silence as she spaced out for a while, contemplating her very being and the implications it held.

Then however, she jolted out of this state again when something moist fell on her hands. Lilly looked down with a start but was unable to see what it was. So instead she raised her hand and carefully licked off whatever it was.

Salty. And... sadness.

Confused, the Witch touched her cheeks and felt the same wetness there, became aware of the moisture in her eyes. Just when did she start to cry?

It did not matter, she decided. No one could see her, so it was okay. She just let the tears flow and sobbed a few times, realising what this meant after a while; she was a Witch, a being of despair, sadness and everything related. She was Akemi Homura's Witch, holding on to her memories.

Her kin usually lamented something they could not actually remember, only very few shades of what once was. Lilly however understood just what exactly she was crying about, to having witnessed so many cruel deaths, having her hope broken time and time again...

She could never tell Homura about this... no, she must not. If she did, the Magical Girl might fall at last and then there was no one that could protect Madoka. Lilly was definitely not capable to do that. She could hide the pinkette or help her hiding, but that was the only thing she was really good at.

She was too weak to protect her. And too tainted to watch over her.

 _This... is my life really a cycle? Why am I useless **again**?!_

The tears stopped, even when they had already run down her upper body and marked their trails down towards her belly button. The sadness slowly gave place to seething anger and her heart started to beat faster while she clenched her hands to fists.

Lilly could barely stop her Grief Seed from releasing magic. It would feel so good to just let loose and break everything around herself, turning the whole room into a ruin. No, not just this room... she should make the whole world a ruin.

But then again, what would come of it? This world was more interesting as it was and anyway, this was below her. She was Mortal World's Witch, so she would not indulge in such an unfitting behaviour.

But even when Lilly repeated this over and over in her head, the urge to just scream at the universe in general, thrash out against it and destroy everything was strong. It was a part of her nature, the most general principle she inherited from humans: violence solves problems.

Of course she was aware that it also created them, but reason was hardly capable to keep up against this storm of emotion surging through the Witch. Wimpering, she slumped over the table and remained like this, her cheek and chest pressed at the cold surface and her eyes closed, with her arms forming a protective circle around her.

 _Why am I alive?_

She felt an itch in one of her index fingers, but at this point, Lilly just wanted to faint to get away from this awful state. A small part of her was embarassed about her bevahiour, but she could not take this any longer.

Like that, she remained and shifted into a state that was neither awake nor asleep. For a while, she just was.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When Homura awoke, she noticed that something was amiss, but could not put her finger on what it was just yet.

As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked to where Lilly should be, she just saw empty space and it clicked in her mind; the warmth of the Witch's body had been missing.

But what happened then? Her 'sister' woke up around the same time as she did herself every day and even if she got up sooner this time, she would be somewhere in sight or do something the Magical Girl could hear. However, neither of those was the case; Lilly was nowhere to be seen and it was completely silent.

With a sudden feeling of dread, Homura threw back the blanket and jumped out of bed, landing on the floor with a light tapping of her feet. The cold tiles tickled her feet, but she ignored that and quickly went to check the other rooms. If Lilly was not here, there could be a problem.

However, she quickly found the Witch sleeping at the table in the living room, looking as if she worked on something before she fell asleep.

But there were no notes or anything else, so she might just have sat there for a while.

With a sigh, the time traveler moved to wake up her 'sister', thereby ignoring her state of nudity. This Witch either knew no shame or did not care as long as it was just Homura around. The second option was probably right.

When she closed in on the sleeping girl however, an unexpected stench hit her nose: the metallic scent of blood, mixed with something else.

 _Just what..._

She quickly went around Lilly, already expecting a puddle of blood she could not see before. But why should this Witch commit suicide?

As Homura realised that there was no reason, she already saw that her 'sister' was not harmed, either. For a moment, the time traveler chided herself for being so jumpy this morning. Then she examined closer and found the reason for the smell: a small puddle actually had formed, though it was centered around her right index finger and looked more black than red. Additionally, it smelled awful... but there was no visible cause; Lilly's finger was alright, so where did that come from?

With an inaudible sigh, she started to shake the Witch awake carefully, putting her hands on those bare shoulders. The skin was soft and rather cold, so she might be lying here for a while now.

"Lilly? Wake up, it's morning."

After a few seconds, the girl started to move with a groan. "Wh-... Homu..ra?"

Her head rose and sleepy eyes looked at the Magical Girl, not yet understanding anything. However, when her 'sister' returned her gaze, she could see the trails of tears on her cheeks. Lilly's hair had hidden them before. The sight put Homura off and filled her with some worry as well, seeing that had she definitely not expected that.

 _Lilly cried... why?_

At first she wanted to ask about the reason but before she did, she pondered whether it was a good idea to do so. The Witch might not want to be questioned about this, but in that case, Homura needed to know. No, that was not it... she wanted to know because if there was something that could make her Witch crack up, it could come to her at any time as well. And this definitely was the only reason.

"What happened, Lilly?"

"Huuh?"

Slowly, the other girl straightened her upper body and stretched herself with another groan, then rubbed her back with a pained expression. After that she returned her gaze to Homura with a quizzical note.

"What do you mean?"

She was still half asleep, so Homura did not hold it against her to be a bit slow right now. "You've been crying last night."

As she said that, Lilly's head perked up in surprise and something akin to... horror? Then she quickly rubbed her eyes and cheeks but stopped after a few seconds with a sad smile. "Ah, I guess I can't lie about that right now..."

Upon seeing the time traveler's inquisitive look, she sighed and leaned back, apparently not caring that she was still naked even when Homura saw the goosebumps on her skin. "I... think I had a breakdown. Thought too much, I guess."

This statement made the Magical Girl suspicious. Her 'sister' was not honest with her, she could tell that by now. Or rather... Lilly did not tell her everything.

Unfortunately for her 'sister', Homura's interest had awoken and she wanted to learn more about this human-shaped Witch, so instead of backing down and accepting the explanation, she inquired further: "What did you think about, then?"

Lilly eyed her for a few seconds with a measuring look, then lowered her head and pressed her arms against her body as a means to gain warmth. The sudden display of weakness was a bit confusing.

"I realised how vulnerable I actually am. I couldn't even defeat Miki if it came to a fight... and don't say that I'm underestimating myself. It's the exact opposite: I overestimated myself the whole time. Last night, I finally understood."

Lilly had bowed her head now, with dull, purple eyes hidden behind a layer of black hair and her hands clasped together in front of her chest. She stopped Homura from replying before the Magical Girl could even say a word.

"I am a strong Witch, but I have none of the powers I needed to actually fight anything but Witches. The only thing I can kill is my own kin..."

After a few more seconds, Lilly straightened up again and her voice stopped shaking at once. "However... I think I can get stronger. Strong enough to be of use."

She knew that look very well. Lilly's moment of weakness was over and her mind was steeled once again. Inwardly, Homura sighed in relief and nodded, a small smile adorning her lips. "You already are, but if it is your wish to grow stronger, you may do so."

This being that was her held strength that even the time traveler herself did not have. However, it was a relief to see that she also still had some spark of humanity left within this black heart of hers.

Now it was for the Witch to sigh and rise to her feet. "Sorry for the scene. I really didn't expect to fall asleep here... and now my back hurts."

She rubbed the spot again, then shook her head and went for their bedroom. "I'm going to get dressed. Give me a moment."

"Take your time."

As Lilly was out of sight, Homura went to making breakfast. It had been a long time since she actually did that, seeing that there was no time for it in any other loop after the third one. The time traveler was solely concentrated on keeping Madoka safe, ignoring her own body except for the most existencial needs. This time however, a Witch had taken up the task of protecting the gentle pinkette from both her own kin and Kyubey. Since Lilly did so well, there was no need for them to observe the Kaname-residence all the time. They kept a close eye on it a few times per day, but this was easier as well because they were two instead of just one. Homura was content about the near future for a change.

So as the toast was slowly getting brown and the Magical Girl placed the dishes on the table, Akemi Yuri emerged from their room, neatly dressed in her school uniform and without any signs of her previous episode left. The only thing she was missing right now was her ponytail, but that was no problem. They knew who they were, after all.

"Good morning, Onee-chan!"

With a mischievous smile, her 'sister' sat down at the table and watched Homura watching the food. As the latter's back was turned her way, the time traveler could not see her Witch's face. However, she did not need to to hear her sudden seriousness: "We have a Thursday, so I'm going to Kazamino tomorrow."

This made her pause for a moment, thinking about what Lilly just said; going to Kazamino meant establishing contact with Sakura Kyoko, but she was not really surprised. In the loops before except for the last one, the pragmatic redhead had been the only ally she actually had, mostly because both of them did not mind the respective other's habits. On the other hand... the Witch thought about a plan at least two or three days in advance, so why the sudden rush?

"Do you suspect something to happen tomorrow?"

Homura did not even turn around. She kept watching the toast to put it on the platter at a good moment, so once again, she could only hear Lilly's voice but not see her expression. "Not really, but I don't know when I will be back, so I don't want to do that when we have school the next day."

A light nod was given to the explanation, though the Witch would most likely not see it.

"I see. What business do you want to have with Sakura Kyoko?"

As the toast was done, Homura took the platter she put it on and carried it towards the table, taking a seat opposite to Lilly, who looked at the bread in thought. "She is pragmatic enough not to slice me up the moment I tell her that I'm a Witch. I think I can cut a deal with her to get some space in Kazamino to train. Though... you would have to take over Madoka and Miki for me, then."

As they both started eating, the Magical Girl shrugged and answered after swallowing her mouthful: "I have no problem with that, though it would mean to introduce them to Tomoe Mami."

Which she was not sure was a good idea. The blonde might try to recruit those two, even when Homura intervened in her judgement.

However, Lilly just waved it off. "It will be fine, really. As I said before: they're far too scared to actually consider contracting... but again, that Kamijou-boy will pose a problem."

"Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it. Except if we find a way to heal him without Miki Sayaka contracting."

"True..."

Now both of them remained silent and ate, with the Witch wolfing down about thrice as much as the Magical Girl. Which was not that much altogether, seeing that Homura was not really hungry.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Once they were finished, the Akemi-'twins' headed out to school. Lilly still had to chuckle inwardly at the stares they got for walking in synch with the same stony expression. However, she was also thinking about how to approach Kyoko. A single mistake could kill her after all. Fortunately for her though, it was not this easy to make mistakes around the pragmatic redhead. She was a bit more lenient about those things than Mami which was rather ironic, considering that the blonde was supposed to be far more level-headed.

However, the situation could definitely be worse. After all, Madoka's wish might have made her a catgirl instead of a regular human... or the government could have abducted Homura.

Though... how would they manage to restrain her 'sister'? She would simply blast them into oblivion if something like this ever happened. In fact, those thoughts were useless. Lilly reminded herself that it was generally not good to think about scenarios as unlikely as these. Maybe this was her madness speaking from the back of her mind? It might very well be, considering that this part of hers was still present.

The way to school was quiet except for a few birds that flew by and the wind stroking the trees around them. Their minds were not connected either, seeing that there was nothing to say right now.

Actually, Lilly liked the atmosphere even when it did not even come close to the night. That was why she took in a deep breath and continued walking, her expression becoming a bit brighter.

Once they started closing in on Mitakihara Middle School though, they passed a few students on their way. The closer they got the more they saw, Lilly even recognized a few of their classmates without recalling their names. They were utterly unimportant, so she did not make the effort to memorise those.

However, another problem imposed itself rather soon; the more people were around, the worse the stench of disgusting human emotions got. It was still bearable, seeing that most of the students at this school had not yet become as awful smelling as most adults did.

They got looks now as well, but this time it should be mostly due to them being transfer students. However, she did notice some boys looking with a different kind of interest emanating from them. Too bad that neither of the two had any intention of pursuing romance... and too bad for Homura that Lilly did not care for that in her schemes.

Speaking of that, the Witch was unable to spot the girl she actually wanted to see. Either Madoka was already there or late.

"Homura-chan! Yuri-chan!"

Or right behind her.

Both girls turned around at the call just to see the pinkette coming their way with Sayaka and Hitomi following suit. The blunette looked at them with a mixture of suspicion and relief while the green-haired girl just wore a polite smile and bowed once the other group was close enough. "My, what a coincidence. Good morning..."

She paused, but did not continue. Lilly exchanged a glance with Homura and shrugged at the knowledge that the well-mannered girl did not know how to adress them. Her 'sister' returned the bow and so did she.

""Good morning.""

They just stood there for a moment. Then Lilly sighed and turned back the way they were headed. "Let's get this over with, then."

A moment later, she chided herself for letting her true thoughts spark through so easily. That was fine around Homura because they were the same being. Around others, though...

However, the regular humans got moving as well, so she discarded that. It was fine to be honest once in a while, especially when it was about trivial things. As long as she did not spill her actual affiliation accidentally, everything was fine.

"I can understand that it is hard for you after being out of school for so long, but I am sure that you will get the hang of it soon enough."

Still showing this smile, Hitomi tried her best to cheer Lilly up, who regarded the effort with a smirk of her own. Of course, the other girl had only seen her failing so far. But the Witch was ready, though she could not just start acing everything.

Nonetheless, she shook her head. "I appreciate your words, Shizuki-san."

She left out the part that she meant something else. The other girls did not need to know that Lilly was thirsting for knowledge this school could not provide. Coming here would only take away a lot of time she might have used better otherwise.

But there was no helping it. At first, the Witch had been curious about how school was, seeing that she apparently lost all the memories of that place. Now however, she could not stay absent without damaging her own reputation... which she needed at least because of Madoka. After all, the pinkette might not stop talking to her, but her own reputation would drop as well in that case. Which was something she would not allow to happen.

"I know what you mean, Akemi", Sayaka chimed in with a pained expression while clinging to Madoka's arm, though that action almost had Lilly snap. "I don't get all that stuff..."

The smaller girl did not even try to wiggle away from her friend while Hitomi started chiding her with a raised finger: "You should not be this laid-back about your education, Sayaka-san! I am sure that if you actually tried, you would get it done!"

After a moment of consideration, her gaze went towards Homura and Lilly could practically hear her thoughts about asking her 'sister' for help. However, she did not because they were practically Witch sighed and shook her head. It was a real shame that she could not just show her adaptive power. "Whatever. Oh, besides", she turned towards Sayaka and Madoka, who looked right back at her, "I can't hang out with you tomorrow. There are some things I have to get done."

Now their expressions changed, but the blunette was the only surprised one. Madoka looked more accepting instead of anything else. "Ah, of course. We can't horde your time, after all."

Of course she could. If this sweet girl actually asked her not to go, she would stay without a second thought. However, at some point, Lilly was glad that Madoka did not know about her influence lest she would stop her from preparations unknowingly.

"Um... sure. Good luck with whatever it is."

They reached the school while everyone was silent after Sayaka's last words. Since they were all in the same class, there was no need to separate and the small group got a few stares on its way, again mostly because of the transfer students. But no one bothered them, neither when they changed their shoes nor when they continued down the hallway.

As they closed in on their destination, the Witch sighed again and stopped moving her right arm as to have her bag in place instead of swinging around. "You know... just call me Yuri. It's way too confusing when you call both of us by our last name. Homura barely cares about how you refer to her, either."

She was not sure whether it was the right thing to do, but it was more convenient that way. Additionally, it might built some trust between them... which was a necessity.

Now both Hitomi and Sayaka looked at her in surprise, then at each other and Homura. The blunette just shrugged while her well-mannered friend put a finger on her chin. "If you insist... then in exchange, please call me Hitomi as well, Yuri-san."

"Ah, me too!", the pinkette chimed in, looking at the 'twins' with something that resembled courage. "You always call me by my last name or both, so please, just call me Madoka."

Before either of them could say anything, Sayaka raised her hands in a lenient manner. "Oh well, I guess it can't be helped then."

Lilly and her 'sister' exchanged a glance and sighed in unison, then the Magical Girl nodded and the Witch smirked. "Very well then."  
This would be a really interesting loop indeed...


	11. I Wish She Was

Before we start, there are a few things I want to talk about. First of all, I have to give my thanks to EpicNinjaGamer, who made me aware of a few problems in this story. As a token of my appreciation for the helpful criticism, I decided to upload this chapter a week early.

Additionally, I changed the formatting in the previous chapters. All thoughts are in _italics_ and people speaking to a character mentally have _'italics and apostrophes'_ now, just so you know. As I did that, I also took a thorough look at those chapters again, fixed a lot of typos, added one or two passages and also changed the titles of each chapter. All of them are now named by the same pattern.

Very well, that was it from me. Have fun with the chapter.

 **.**

 **. .**

 **. . .**

Lunch break.

With a heavy sigh, Lilly rose from her chair and went for the cafeteria to get something to eat. Now she had another reason to dislike this place; her most beloved ability was almost useless.

True, she learned a lot about the behaviour of girls her age and memorised everything that was said in class, but she had to realise this: observing and evolving did only work for knowledge about people and everything connected to her own powers. And really now, there was no need to actually create equations or look for a reason within the realm of physics to explain her magic. So how should she even understand English or the like?

Of course, Lilly could replicate and reuse everything they covered in class up to that point, but she was unable to widen her knowledge without getting a detailed explanation. Which, in turn, led to her failing most of the problems she was given... again. At this point, she could feel some people actually being amused at that, their gloating emanating like a disgusting cloud. And she was angry. Really angry. But she kept herself in check.

At least her cold expression stopped people from openly trying to harass her, or maybe it was because no one wanted to get on Homura's bad side. Whatever the reason, Lilly was glad that she was left alone. If someone actually bothered her, she might have committed a murder even if she had to strangle them to get it done.

Once the Witch got her food, she turned and went for the stairway to the roof. As they did the last few days, Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi would wait for her there. Homura went to eat with Mami as Lilly suggested before. Strengthening the blonde's trust in the other Magical Girl was always a good idea, they just needed to be careful that Kyubey could not turn it upside down with a well-placed revelation.

At a point like this, the Witch really did regret that she could not just link up to Homura. Having no one to talk to just made her more aware of the stench surrounding her. At least her stomach stopped protesting against the constant urge to vomit last afternoon, so she could move a bit easier, although it was still unpleasant. Fortunately, almost no one ate on the roof, so she could take some fresh air up there, even mixed with Madoka's sweet scent. Hitomi and Sayaka did not have that foul a smell, so she could ignore that quite well and be at ease for a while.

As Lilly closed in on the roof however, she noticed a different feeling coming from there: magic.

Seeing that there were still people around, she could not just make a running start. But this did not stop her from increasing her speed somewhat, her steps coming faster than before but made it look more like striding than actual running.

Magic on the roof could mean two things; firstly, Kyubey was there and tried to form contracts. Secondly: Mami and/or Homura had gone up there. All the smelling humans around her made Lilly unable to distinguish, though. She could only tell that there was magic, not of what kind.

 _Please be Mami and Homura, please be..._

The staircase was empty and as the Witch took three steps at once to get up faster while the distracting stench slowly dissipated, although it left a foul taste in her mouth. Once she was on the top floor, she could actually tell what was up there. And stopped.

Apparently, she forgot about the third option, which was 'All of the above'.

Mami seemed to have brought Kyubey with her.

With a feeling of dread, Lilly took a deep breath and went on the last stair. When she opened the door and walked onto the roof, she could see the small group in its center at once; four people sat there, three of them actively chattering and the fourth one looking around. Homura's purple gaze met its equal as the Witch walked towards them with her blank expression in place.

It did not take long for the others to notice her as well and they turned to greet her. Mami even rose to her feet while Lilly noticed Kyubey on her shoulder but let the matter drop for now, seeing that the blonde introduced herself: "We have not met before, but I heard a lot from your sister. It's my pleasure to meet you, Akemi-san."

She was given a warm smile but remained unreadable and bowed her head. "Likewise, Tomoe-senpai. Onee-chan told me about you as well."

At the nickname, her 'sister' rolled her eyes and lowered them to her own food. From the look of it, she had been given some of Mami's lunch.

They stood there a moment longer, then Lilly strode past the blonde and sat down next to Homura so that she was placed between her and Madoka. Mami did the same, apparently not bothered by her behaviour in the slightest. She sat on one end of the group with Hitomi forming the other one, so Sayaka was to Madoka's other hand. The Witch had a good reason to sit where she was, though. If Mami touched her, she would be able to feel the magic within her body. Therefore, it was very fortunate that she did not seem to mind her behaviour.

 _I guess she got used to people being cold through Homura by now..._

But even then, her plan had been destroyed. She did not want to meet the blonde before the start of the next week, so the careful acts of timing she had hoped to use were for naught.

With an inaudible sigh, the Witch started to nibble at her bread and think while the people around her conversed cheerily. The mood was good for them but having Sayaka and Hitomi emanating their humanity right next to her still killed it for Lilly As before, it was not that bad, but not pleasant either. Not after what just happened.

She hid it behind her own blank expression, but at some point, someone would definitely notice that she only ever actually smiled around Madoka or Homura or when she was alone. Everyone else was given an act she could barely hold up.

Right now, keeping her cover had become more important than ever before, too; Tomoe Mami was around and would be in the future, so she could not risk to raise any suspicion at all... especially with Kyubey watching as well.

Even when the Witch only grudgingly accepted it, the Incubator was beyond her. It had far more knowledge and also a level of intelligence on par with hers. It even rivalled her understanding of humans, which was troublesome in its own right.

However, her brooding was interrupted when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. Looking up, Lilly saw that it was Homura's and the Magical Girl gave her a concerned look. To the side, she could see Mami peek around her 'sister' with a confused expression.

"You really shouldn't space out like this, Yuri."

On her questioning stare, the time traveler just pointed at her hand. She did hold one half in her hand, the other was gone and... her index finger was bleeding?

At the same moment, Lilly became aware of the metallic taste in her mouth and found the conclusion to what happened, though she hoped that she was wrong. Which was why she returned a pleading look to her sister. "Don't tell me..."

"You have."

So Homura understood what she meant and confirmed it; Lilly had been so distracted by her thoughts that she started nibbling at her finger when the remainder of the bread was no longer in direct reach of her teeth. Now the painful throbbing of the small wound made itself noticeable as well and it took quite a portion of her willpower not to wince.

Unfortunately for her, she did not inherit the power to block out pain, only the regenerative abilities. And she could not just regenerate right now, lest both Mami and Kyubey would know what was going on.

However, Sayaka started laughing at her expense while Madoka leaned in concernedly to take a look at her finger. "Let me see, Yuri-chan."

Obediently, the Witch held out the hand and the pinkette took a hold of it as a means of steadying her. The bleeding was not strong, but it did not feel as if it would stop anytime soon. Going by the pain, Lilly had bitten through her own skin and ripped open the flesh below.

 _Great. Another thing I don't need._

"My, you sure bit deep, Yuri-san", Hitomi added as she had risen to see what happened. The laughing Sayaka aside, the Witch was now the center of attention, much to her dismay. Getting tended to by Madoka was one thing, but this was just... unfitting. It felt off and strange to have people look at her so casually. But right now, there was nothing she could do, seeing that there was neither a way to retreat, nor an excuse to do so.

"Actually", Mami chimed in as she stood next to Hitomi, looking at the well-mannered girl, "a human's jaw is stronger than we think. Technically, we could easily bite off our own fingers, but our sense of self-preservation stops us from doing so, even if we try."

As Hitomi turned towards the older girl with a surprised expression, she placed a hand on her cheek and giggled uncomfortably. "At least, that's what I read about the topic once. So I guess Akemi-san was really distracted by her thoughts."

Lilly grimaced and looked aside as the blonde voiced her statement. Of course she was distracted. She had been thinking about how not to get killed by the madwoman in front of her. And that, Mami was at her very core, even if she was good at playing the confident senpai.

However, she would not say that out loud. Having the blonde as an ally always meant a lot less work to do. And if work could be avoided, Lilly would gladly take the opportunity.

"By any chance, A... Yuri", Sayaka leaned forward with a mischievous smirk, "were you thinking about the person you like?"

This one was unexpected, but it was mostly Madoka sitting in her full view that the Witch could barely control herself. Her cheeks turned pink and she looked away, towards where Homura sat and responded to her stare with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh? So I was right?"

With an obviously acted vicious laugh, the blunette put a hand in front of her mouth as she eyed Lilly. "So? Who is..."

Hitomi got a grasp on Sayaka's ear and pulled slightly before the tomboy could finish. "Be nice, Sayaka-san. It is not right to ask something like this."

"Ow..."

The other girl winced in pain and rubbed her reddening ear, then looked back towards her. However, Lilly barely noticed as she fought down the urge to rip out Sayaka's tongue. That human had nerves to embarass her in front of the person she loved. Keeping it back had tears form in her eyes and her heart started beating faster.

"Yuri...chan?"

She heard Madoka, but the sudden distraction finally tipped the scales and the Witch was unable to stop herself. So instead of replying to the pinkette, she rose to her feet, pushing the smaller girl backwards in the process. With a slight wince, Madoka landed on her rear and looked up in surprise as Lilly turned towards Sayaka, who was just as surprised. Though that changed into something more akin to fear as she saw a burning, murderous gaze directed at her. Hitomi did not even notice as she was busy helping her friend to her feet and Mami could not see it because the angle she stood in was too far off.

The only thing that stopped the Witch right now was her instinct; to actually hurt this girl in front of the blonde meant to expose her magic, which would result in her death.

On the other hand, she did have an enhanced body, so magic might not even be necessary.

Neither of those thoughts was finished, seeing that a hand was placed on her shoulder and she could feel Homura's calm presence all around.

"Calm down."

Hearing this voice call her to reason had Lilly's anger deflate within seconds. Homura was right and they both knew it. If she lost her temper at this point, all the work they did so far would have been in vain. So there was only one thing she could do to end the performance; the Witch took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment and sat down. While she sunk back to her place and tried to get her expression under control, her 'sister' turned towards the dumbfounded blunette with a cold stare. "You should refrain from this kind of behaviour around Yuri, Miki Sayaka. Unless you like making enemies, that is."

"I... uh... what just..."

As the tomboy continued to stutter, Lilly pressed her fingers onto her forehead and tried to regain her calm completely. Just why could a being as lowly as this make her angry? It had really been a bad idea to go to school.

"Now, now, this is not the time to fight. I'm sure Miki-san meant no harm", Mami chimed in with a smile as she looked at the girl in question. "Right?"

Sayaka nodded slowly and then looked back at Lilly but did not say anything until Hitomi elbowed her.

"Ow! Uh..."

After a moment, she sighed and bowed her head. "Sorry, Yuri. Didn't mean to make you angry."

The Witch just waved it off and sighed herself, not believing herself for what she was to say: "You could not know, it's fine."

No, it was not fine. It was definitely not. And Homulilly would remember this humiliation.

"Um..."

With a sheepish smile, Madoka scratched the back of her head and sat down next to them again. Now that her mind returned to normal, Lilly realised what she did before and quickly bowed to the pinkette. "Ah, I'm sorry, Madoka-san. I didn't mean to..."

It was waved off with a smile. "It's fine, Yuri-chan. As long as no one picks a fight, I don't mind."

 _So kind..._

Again, she had to fight down the urge to jump the girl in front of her.

Really, this might pose a problem in the future...

 **.**

 **. . .**

Second Act: Start

 **. . .**

 **.**

With an inward sigh, Homura walked towards her destination. School was over and Lilly did not kill anyone. With the reaction her 'sister' had at noon however, she might have very well done it. But for the Witch to even act like this...

 _Just what happened?_

At first she looked well and reliable but in a mere two weeks, the Witch revealed herself to be unstable and Homura could not find any reason for this change. Except maybe...

 _Lilly is me..._

Barely anyone could see how broken Akemi Homura actually was, so maybe she just got to know more sides of her 'sister'? Parts that she would not want even herself to see... just like the parts of Homura's conciousness she suppressed and ignored, all the weak thoughts, the sadness and despair. It was there, but she could not give in to it lest she would fall.

However, Lilly did not have this problem. She had all of those emotions the time traveler held but did not need to hide them from herself. In fact, the Witch might feel them constantly which would explain her sudden changes in character.

This was just a hypothesis, though. A good one maybe, but it was definitely not proven.

"Is there something on your mind, Akemi-san?"

As she was spoken to, Homura sent a glance to the older girl walking next to her. Mami seemed to be in high spirits, most likely because the other girls got along with her so well.

Yet Homura was not feeling well about this anymore. Yes, the group around Madoka did not display the usual suspicion -even when Miki Sayaka sent her more than one wary stare- but to have an unstable Witch amidst them could become a problem. Especially since neither of them believed this stupid blunette to actually listen to reason and not make a contract.

With a sigh, Homura nodded at the blonde. "Yuri has trouble with her temper as of late."

"Ah, I see..."

As she pondered the statement for a moment, the other Magical Girl showed a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it too much. We are all in a difficult phase of growing up, so that is only natural."

This proved at least one thing, namely that the other girl had no idea Akemi Yuri was not human. A small relief.

"Hm... this might be true, but I will give it some thought later nonetheless."

As she was still talking, the time traveler could feel the bond forming. As it seemed, Lilly needed to tell her something. She did not even waste the time to wait until the connection was fully formed: _'Trouble!'_

It was was just one word, but... it did not bode well.

 _"What kind of trouble?"_

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

They were sitting at the same bench like the day before. However, the little girl was not there and Lilly would not start looking for her. Madoka was eying her surroundings, obviously searching for Nagisa.

The Witch had her very own problems, being hardly able to keep her stomach from emptying itself. Yesterday had been better but today the room was full of people. Their scent in combination with the overall atmosphere of sickness surrounding the hospital was almost too much for her to take.

Additionally, she had to think about how to act around Sayaka a bit more. After what happened on the school's roof, the blunette looked a lot more cautious when talking to her.

 _Suspicious... but also... afraid..._

Which was not good. Not after what they planned, at least.

She acted far too thoughtless those few hours ago and she knew that. However, Lilly would not allow any human, especially one as lowly as Miki Sayaka, to embarass her in front of her love.

Now, as she wanted to talk to Madoka, two sensations hit her at the very same moment: the scent of hope and magic... and the scent of despair and magic.

So instead of actually saying anything, she just gasped in surprise, thus gaining the pinkette's attention. "Is something wrong, Yuri...chan?"

The honorific came a bit slower when she saw how much the face of the Witch had changed; she normally wore at least a polite smile around the girl she loved, but it became a completely void expression now. Slowly, Lilly answered: "I... have a really bad feeling right now."

Which was not a lie. She did just sense the birth of a Magical Girl and the birth of a Witch.

However, the latter was weak right now and went to sleep for a while until it could hatch with its full power. The Magical Girl was... on the upper floors. She did not know who it was for sure, seeing that it was not a scent she ever smelled before except for the usual slice of magic in it... though she did notice that it was rather weak in comparison to Mami or Homura.

All those facts combined almost proved her theory; Miki Sayaka had been stupid again.

"Um... say, Yuri-chan..."

"Hm?"

However, Madoka's troubled voice had her attention focus on the girl next to her at once. The pinkette was playing with the straps of her bag unconciously while her eyes clearly displayed her uneasiness. "This white animal on Mami-san's shoulder... it talked to me..."

Now Lilly's eyes widened slightly but she refrained from asking questions. Instead, she nodded and motioned for the other girl to continue.

"But... when he asked me about the contract, I told him no..."

Madoka started to relax as Lilly's expression returned to normal, a gust of relief floating through the Witch. At least the person she actually wanted to save listened to reason, although that might change quickly, seeing that they already failed on their first objective. Far faster than expected, that was.

"You did the right thing then, Madoka-san. It's better this way, trust me."

They had to keep some secrecy after all, seeing that they were still surrounded by people. At least the sweet scent of the girl next to her blocked out the rest ever so slightly so that Lilly could think clearly. With a sigh, she created the bond and called Homura.

 _"Trouble!"_

Before it was even completely formed, she already sent this one word. It would reach her 'sister' and she would know just how dire the situation was.

However, the answer took a few seconds:

 _'What kind of trouble?'_

Yes, there was definitely some dread in the Magical Girl's voice, so she should have an idea of what was going. But even then, Lilly summarised what she learned and what happened: _"First things first: Kyubey established contact with Madoka on the roof, but we already expected that. Also: The Witch of Sweets hatched, but i don't know her name yet. She went to sleep the moment she was born and all those humans block out most of her scent. And, of course... just a minute ago, I felt someone contract with Kyubey."_

Silence filled her mind for quite a while and Madoka was answering a message on her phone, so there was nothing to do except waiting. At least she did not ask her about what happened on the roof before, maybe she just took it as a quirk of hers not to like speaking about that particular topic.

 _'Could it have been the girl that witched out?'_

Of course, she forgot to tell her 'sister' why that could not be.

 _"I wish she was, but that can't be. Both the Witch and the Magical Girl were created at almost the same moment. There is always at least some time between those two stages, so it has to be someone else... do you need to hear my guess?"_

 _'No, we probably guessed the same. Tell Madoka to call me so that I have a reason to come there.'_

Homura was not stupid after all, especially when she saw Miki Sayaka contracting so often and the suggestion she made was a good one, so Lilly turned to the pinkette just as she pressed the sending-button.

"Madoka-san?"

"Hm?"

With a curious noise, the other girl turned towards the Witch who in turn felt a bit stupid to have to ask for something like this. "May I ask you for a favour?"

Now she had the full attention of the human, so she quickly elaborated: "Could you call Homura and ask her to come over here? I think that she hasn't checked the hospital for a while, so there might be something here."

"Oh... um... of course. Just give me a moment, Yuri-chan."

With a slight nod, the Witch leaned back in her chair and sighed inwardly. This went better than expected, especially when it was common sense to get a cellphone of her own as fast as possible. In cases like this one, this even seemed like a good idea. However, buying one would mean to further decrease their budget, which she could not afford.

Homulilly was a hungry Witch, after all. And a picky one as well.

Now that she thought about it, human food was one of the upsides of this situation. Humans tasted disgusting and with her actual body, there was little else she could eat. So next to the chance of being with Madoka and Homura, this was the third positive aspect she found with this life. Though she was still unsure whether it outweighed all the downsides or not.

"H-Hello, Homura-chan?"

Ah, she started. With a quick glance, Lilly checked the slightly flustered pinkette. From the look of it, she did not feel very comfortable to call someone she barely knew, even when the two had gotten along rather - _rather_ \- well a few hours ago.

"Um... you see... Yuri-chan said... um... she... suggested that we should meet here."

Mentally, the Witch applauded for the interesting phrasing. No one would get any weird ideas from hearing this.

"Ah, yes, that's the reason. Thank you very much, Homura-chan... um... see you soon..."

After a few more moments, the pinkette lowered her phone and looked down on it, then back at Lilly. "She said she will be here soon."

The response came with a smirk: "That is good to hear."

Which it was indeed, even when it was definitely not surprising. Lilly felt the jump in her 'sister's' emotions the moment she talked to Madoka. It was really strange to be able to see through her so easily, but this seemed to be a side-effect of being connected all the time. In fact, the Witch did not mind one bit. They were the same anyway, so what did it matter?

 _'It will take about fifteen minutes until Tomoe and I arrive. I have to slow down so that she can follow.'_

That sounded even better. She expected them to need at least half an hour, which meant that Miki had far less time to do something stupid.

 _"Alright. Though... What do we do with the idiot? Have Mami take her under her wing?"_

At least this was the most logical idea there was right now. But even then, her question was pondered for a while, seeing that it took more than a minute before she got a response. _'I doubt that there is a better option at this moment. But we have to make sure that she can't influence Madoka.'_

So they got to the same solution. However, the last part had Lilly send the mental equivalent to a smirk. _"Then be nice to her. I'm sure she will listen to you at this point."_

There was no answer, so Lilly dropped the matter as well and closed the bond. They could talk in person very soon anyway.


	12. There Goes Nothing

With an unreadable expression, Homura put down her cellphone and looked at her companion. "Something might happen at the hospital. We should go and check."

"Um... okay..."

As it seemed, the blonde was reluctant to go with an explanation so vague although she did follow her, so there was no problem with that. As they walked, she had a small exchange with her 'sister' before the bond was closed again.

The time traveler thought about what might happen and shivered. This was not good at all. The chance that what Lilly felt was not Miki Sayaka contracting was very little. Taking into account that the Incubator had established contact with Madoka as well, it seemed to have crafted a new plan. Maybe it wanted to have her talk to it more just to make sure her friend was safe.

"Say, Akemi-san... how would you know that something might happen when there is neither a Magical Girl nor Kyubey anywhere near the hospital?"

As a means to prove her point, Mami scratched the neck of the creature that sat on her shoulder once again. Homura just shook her head slightly. "Yuri has a sixth sense or something of the sort. Whenever she gets a bad feeling, something happens, though she can't actually do anything with it because it shows up rarely."

"I see..."

It was not hard to tell that the other girl was not completely buying it but at this point, Homura just hoped that there would be no more questioning. She was down to very few of all the half-truths they prepared and after that she had to improvise. Which she was not really good at.

 _'Akemi Yuri turns out to be far more unusual than I expected at first. She has no potential at all but contains so many interesting abilities. Could it be, Akemi Homura...'_

The time traveler just glanced at the Incubator from the side and suppressed the urge to hold her breath. Apparently, it had come to a conclusion. Both of them kept walking, but Mami seemed to be waiting for what it wanted to say as well.

 _'Could it be that this sister of yours was born from a wish?'_

She did not react to the question on the outside but bells were ringing in her mind. Unfortunately for her, Lilly closed their bond already so she could not ask for her opinion. In this case she had to come up with something and had to mind the creature's words. It had definitely not forgotten to investigate her magic, so she had to be careful. She could deny that assumption but then there would be more questions. If she admitted that much, Mami would not think of Lilly's abilities as strange anymore. But was that worth bringing Kyubey a step closer to the truth?

After considering for a while, Homura sighed and nodded. "She was indeed, though not by my wish. Please don't bring it up around her, she doesn't like to talk about it."

For a moment, the other veteran gave her a suspicious look, but nodded as her smile returned. "Of course not. This at least explains her strange behaviour before. I suppose you prefer not to talk about how and why she was born in the first place?"

Now it was for the time traveler to nod. "You're right, I prefer not to. It's not a nice story to begin with."

"I... see."

That was enough to make her companion understand. Whoever made this wish died along the way and going by its very nature, the girl in question must have been close to Homura. Which was true, even more so than the blonde might suspect.

They continued in silence, watched by Kyubey and both sunken into their own thoughts. For her however, it was mostly planning on how to save Miki Sayaka from certain doom.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

While they waited for her 'sister' and Mami to arrive, both Madoka and Lilly kept quiet. Until a cheerful-looking blunette emerged from the staircases and waved at them, that was.

"Sayaka-chan!"

As she closed in on them, the other human girl quickly rose to her feet while the Witch remained seated. She had her eyes glued to the black ring on the tomboy's middle finger and her worst assumption was proven.

The idiot formed a contract. Far sooner than she normally would.

Sighing, she got to her feet as well and motioned for the other two to follow her. Although Miki seemed eager to tell them what happened, she complied. Madoka just looked curious about what that meant.

They slowly moved to leave the hospital and once they were out in the open, Lilly maneuvered the other two a bit to the side before smacking the blunette on the head, thereby quickly covering her fist in her napkin before she did and having it vanish into her pocket once she was done.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?!"

Holding the place in question, Sayaka glared at her angrily only to receive an angry stare in return and the Witch snapped at her: "What was that about not contracting?"

"Uh..."

The other girl stopped for a moment while Madoka's eyes widened at the statement. "Well... I guess I had a change of heart."

"B-But, Sayaka-chan! Are you really okay with fighting? It will be dangerous!"

At least Madoka was shocked. Lilly just pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed before looking at the newly born Magical Girl again. As she started to speak, she noticed that the Witch she felt earlier was closeby, still asleep.

"There's no helping it now. You threw your life away for that wish, so you better live up to it."

"Of course, of course! Just leave it to me!"

With a cheerful expression, the idiot completely missed the actual meaning of the statement. The Witch sighed once more, a familiar sensation made itself noticeable; two other Magical Girls were around. So Homura and Mami would need about two to three more minutes until they arrived, provided they walked casually.

However, she should use the time she had right now to try and get at least some sense into Miki so she looked her over once more. The scent was a lot different, mostly because there was not much of it anymore, most of it comprimated within her Soul Gem. Her personal smell was now streaky with magic like that of every other Magical Girl. Combined with the remaining traces of her former scent, it was still possible to identify her and even quite acceptable to be around her now. At least she did not stink.

"And since you decided to join the ranks of the Magical Girls, you will have to train your abilities and go patrolling. Fortunately for you, we have two veterans that can help you with that. Most girls are not that lucky."

Now she had the attention of both of the other girls, with Sayaka being enthusiastic and Madoka mostly curious. Apparently, the pinkette had gotten over the initial shock.

 _'I wonder'_ , a high-pitched voice in their heads had them look up to the tree they were standing under. Kyubey sat atop one of the lower branches, scrutinizing them. A surprised "Kyubey?" from Madoka was everything they said before it continued.

 _'Why is it that you are so well informed about the ways and duties of the Magical Girls when you are none yourself, Akemi Yuri? Was this really just what your sister told you or is it because you were created by a wish yourself?'_

At the finality in this statement, Lilly's eyes widened in shock. Had it found out? Would it blow her cover? Would she die now?

It took the Witch a gargantuan effort to suppress her fear and sigh again instead of freezing time and running away. She could feel the looks of her wide-eyed companions but at the same time, her mind undid the meaning of what the Incubator just stated. No, it did not know everything. If it did, it would have called her a Witch at once. So she had to act her part now, although that was rather easy in comparison.

"And what of it, Kyubey? I did not choose to be born just like any human has no saying over it, so that's that. Why should I be different from those of regular birth?"

Except for the fact that she was not human to begin with, but she never actually said that she was.

The Incubator just swished its tail and refrained from answering, but the other girls kept looking at her with those eyes.

"Yuri-chan... what does that mean?"

Madoka looked confused even when she definitely understood the meaning of Kyubey's words. However, it seemed that she needed -or wanted- her confirmation first. Lilly sighed again. "Actually, I didn't want you to know, but I myself am the product of a wish, though not Homura's own."

Then her gaze wandered towards the feline creature above her. "Now how do you know of that, Kyubey?"

In response, the creature jumped down and landed on Sayaka's shoulder, who looked slightly uncomfortable with it taking a seat there. _'I already suspected something of the like, seeing that you can maneuver in the world of magic without getting hurt. Akemi Homura told me this when I asked her about it before, so I see my assumption as correct.'_

Homura told him. So Mami had been closeby.

However, this meant that the Incubator still did not know what she actually was. The relief almost made her laugh but she stopped herself and eyed it warily. Since the immediate danger from Kyubey had subsided, the Witch became more aware of the stares she was getting from her companions.

"Wait a second... so you say... you're..."

Sayaka seemed at a loss for words, although she might be trying not to use a term that would insult her, seeing that she did that before already, how cute. Lilly decided to let it slip this once and simply shrugged. "As I said, I was created with this human body and with my memories already in place, seeing that Homura was the template. I inherited her knowledge about the life of a Magical Girl as well, that's why I can tell you so much."

"B-But...", Madoka reluctantly raised her own voice now. "Doesn't that... feel strange? I mean... um..."

Another sigh of hers had the pinkette keep quiet and watch the Witch with widened eyes. Lilly on her part just looked to the sky. "You see, I don't know anything else but the life I live. It's the same with you: you have always lived as the beings you are, so why should it feel strange to you? We might agree on the fact that I'm the unusual one here, but I don't mind at all. I was born for a reason Homura, I and the girl that made this wish know. I'm fine the way I am."

She barely stopped herself from revealing too much. Had it been Madoka alone, she might have considered to tell her what the reason for her existence was but considering that Miki and Kyubey were listening, she did not do it. Those two definitely did not need to know.

Besides, she knew that gaze the blunette was giving her. Her suspicions had awoken again, but she refrained from saying anything.

Also, she was saved from any further questioning, seeing that her 'sister' and Mami rounded the last corner and came into view. It was hard to tell whether Homura was actually looking at her, but both of them stopped a moment later with their heads turning towards the main building of the hospital.

Madoka and Sayaka had seen them as well and especially the latter seemed confused. "Um... what are they doing?"

Lilly just started to walk in their direction. "I guess my feeling was right and there is a Witch around."

The others started to follow her and kept quiet until the small group reached the two Magical Girls and at this point, the Witch was able to see where the other one was; her Grief Seed was stuck into the outer wall right next to the entrance.

"Looks like there is some work to do", she greeted the other two that turned to look at her. Lilly motioned for Sayaka who was standing behind her. "Take that one with you, she will need the experience now."

That was more than enough to make Homura understand, though it took Mami a moment longer until she realised that Kyubey was sitting on the blunette's shoulder. Then she smiled at the younger girl encouragingly. "So you decided to become a Magical Girl, Miki-san?"

"Um... yes, I did."

The time traveler just flicked her hair and exchanged a glance with Yuri before stepping aside but before the Witch could say anymore, someone lightly pulled at her sleeve. Looking back, she saw Madoka's pleading expression and sighed again even before the pinkette could say anything, thus making her tilt her head with a mixture of confusion and surprise. "And I guess we'll be coming, too."

"Try not to drag us down too much, then", her 'sister' noted before moving towards the Grief Seed. Halfway there, she stopped and looked back at Mami, who nodded slightly and started to follow.

Lilly sighed, noted that she did that far too often as of late and turned to Madoka, who was looking at her thankfully. "Hold onto my sleeve and don't think about wandering off."

"Um... okay."

A tad reluctantly, the pinkette grabbed the left sleeve of her shirt and started to follow the human-shaped Witch when she walked after the two veterans, though Sayaka was between her and them. The blunette did not look that happy anymore.

 _Good. Take that uneasiness and make it eternal, then you might survive._

Understandingly, her sympathy for the tomboy had dropped a lot in these past few hours. Too bad that she could not really enjoy her fearful expression.

With a slight purple glimmer, Homura opened a passageway into the barrier and had everyone else walk through it before joining them on the inside. It was dark and everything looked as if it was overgrown by a sweet smelling mass.

Once the scent of humans vanished altogether, Lilly took a deep breath and relaxed. This was a lot better, especially when she could smell Madoka's lovely aroma right next to her. Now she actually found it in her to smile encouragingly at the pinkette just as Mami did the same to Sayaka. Homura walked past the two non-Magical Girls and stopped a few steps behind the blunette's back but refrained from saying anything yet. Kyubey jumped down to the ground and walked over to where Madoka stood, only to stop and sit down after receiving a warning glare from Lilly. _'The Witch has not actually hatched yet. From the look of it, she is still sleeping, so try not to use a lot of magic, that might stimulate the Grief Seed.'_

Of course it would. If you were peacefully asleep and a band of raiders smashed into your house, you would not just stay in bed either. This was not really different although the Witch would have ended the same way if Lilly had gotten her hands on her.

"Hm..."

With a thoughtful look, Mami regarded their group of five, then sighed and waved for Homura to come over to her side. They exchanged a few whispered arguments before turning towards the rest with the time traveler speaking up: "Seeing that there is a rookie to train now, we will not hold back even at the risk of waking the Witch. Miki Sayaka, you take the first line. Tomoe-san takes the second. Yuri and Kaname Madoka, you are the third line and I will take the rearguard."

As she was finished, her 'sister' walked past them again but stopped a meter behind Lilly. Sayaka looked surprised, but then nodded and moved only to be stopped by Mami again. "This might not be the right time to do so, but please show us your transformation, Miki-san."

At this moment, Lilly noticed a mistake Homura just made; she already knew that this blockhead used blades, but she _should not_ know that. The realisation had her spine freeze for a moment and quickly shrugged it off. Kyubey would definitely take note of it, but the decision to put the blunette at the front could easily be justified with the newcomer having to train anyway.

"Ah, right! Sorry, I forgot!"

With a quick motion, the girl had her ring transform into a shining blue gem and held it out in front of herself. It started to glow and engulfed her in a clear navyblue that flew away from her figure like water once it was over. The familiar smell of active magic made the Witch almost wistful when she thought about her own Grief Seed. How much she wished to be able to let loose... but it was not that easy.

Her and Madoka watched the new Magical Girl in her female knight-attire, took note of the exposed belly with the Soul Gem placed at her belly button -Lilly almost facepalmed at the location; a simple stab could end her- and the cutlasses she held in both hands.

Once the transformation was over, Sayaka looked at her outfit from a few angles. "What do you think?"

Now, before anyone else could react, Lilly already shot out her opinion: "Too indecent."

"Huh?"

The blunette looked at herself again, then blushed at the implication the Witch had made. Madoka still looked unsure but Mami just chuckled and shook her head. "It suits you just fine, Miki-san. Just make sure that the cape does not get in your way."

At the remark, Sayaka looked behind herself and got a hold of the white cloth attached to her neck, looking it over before letting go with a cheerful smile. "Now isn't that something? I look like..."

"Please don't say it", Yuri chimed in while pinching the bridge of her nose, thus earning stares from everyone else. "That's number two of the favourite sentences of the girls who don't live long. Right after 'I definitely won't regret my decision'."

Actually, the only person this statistic was based on was Miki Sayaka, but she did not need to know that. However, Mami decided to get everyone started, seeing that a flash of yellow illuminated the darkness for a moment. "Soo... shall we get going?"

A purple flash from behind them told her that Homura transformed as well. She could even hear her 'sister' flick her hair. "Very well."

As she got confirmation, the blonde turned towards Lilly and Madoka with an encouraging smile. "Please stay close to us."

The Witch just nodded as did the pinkette that was still holding on to her sleeve.

They got moving and the first group of minions was not far away. They might have been attracted by the scent of Magic that evaporated when the Magical Girls transformed and the group encountered them in a longer corridor where the creatures hid behind a giant cookie. Lilly smelled them beforehand but everyone else was surprised when they jumped out of their hiding place, although they did so a while before the humans reached that point. Failed ambush...

There were only three of them, all in an oval-shap with their skin black with white dots and a large eye in the center of their body.

"Now this looks promising. Go ahead, Miki-san."

The blunette hid her face but Lilly could faintly smell her nervousness. Nonetheless, she drew her blade and got in an... at least not terrible stance to charge. And yes, the Witch could actually tell the difference, seeing that she researched swordfighting no less than two days ago. Of course she was not completely certain, but she got the gist of the basics.

"Here I go!"

 _There goes nothing..._ , Lilly commented mentally, though no one but her could hear it. She sighed as the rookie jumped the minions with a speed that put Mami to shame and slashed at them wildly. How wasteful. A single strike each would have been enough.

However, Sayaka got the job done; when she stopped, the creatures fell to the ground with most of their bodies cut open and vanished before actually hitting the floor. Too bad, Lilly would have loved to eat them especially with this sweet aroma they had. They might be closest to human candy.

Also, she distinguished the name of the Witch by now. It took a while, seeing that she was around Magical Girls and Madoka so she was kept in a cloud of other scents. But now she knew; this Witch went by the name of Charlotte, the Witch of Sweets.

 _This is the creature that kills Tomoe Mami so often... I guess that it won't happen this time._

"Mhm... you sure have the enthusiasm, Miki-san... but you shouldn't put so much energy in fighting a minion. I guess a single hit from your swords would have been enough."

"Huh? Really? Am I this strong?!"

She actually looked as if she believed that herself. However, this time Homura was faster than Lilly, so she did not got to give another snarky comment: "No, they are this weak. Keep your strength for the Witch."

"Oh... okay..."

Now she looked down, but that dissipated quickly as well. "Nah, whatever. You know, that's kinda..."

"Sentence number three", Lilly chimed in again, only to get an annoyed stare. "Just how many of those do you have?"

To that, she just smirked. "Quotes or remarks?"

At this point even Madoka was looking at her disbelievingly while Mami just chuckled and shook her head. "I actually did not suspect you to have a sarcastic streak, Akemi-san. I think it suits you, though."

She barely cared for how much she antagonised this blockhead with her regular behaviour, she was done with playing nice for today. The Witch just shrugged while pointing at another minion poking its head out of a hole in the ground. "There's the next one."

As they watched the newly contracted Magical Girl struggle against the weak beings, occasionally helped by Mami, Madoka slightly pulled at her sleeve to gain her attention. She looked curious but also confused, so Lilly averted her gaze from the battle. Actually, she would have wanted to just tell her everything... But that was impossible, seeing that not even the gentle pinkette could bring herself to not hate her once she learned that she was an enemy of humankind. Which she would think because she had contact with a certain blonde now.

"Yuri-chan? I just wondered... you're acting so different all of a sudden..."

Which was only natural. Too much had happened against her predictions and hopes; Lilly did not want to hide her true personality, at least not the parts she could display without getting found out.

So she returned the smaller girl's gaze tiredly and shrugged again. "There are always sides of other people you don't know, Madoka-san. As for me, I held back the sarcasm for a while lest a certain person might feel insulted by it."

It was fairly obvious that she meant Sayaka. But at least for today, she would not actually care if she insulted the blunette that was currently practicing to throw her swords at the enemy. Pyotr were running from wherever she hit, some of them evaporating upon being pierced by the magical metal.

"I... I see. Sayaka-chan would think that you're mean..."

With her having this lost expression, Lilly had to suppress the urge to hug the uneasiness out of her. That would only upset the other girl even further.

So instead she looked to Homura, who stood not far away and was watching their surroundings for any signs of minions sneaking up on them. Just what exactly were they doing here, she wondered. At the rate this was going, Madoka would be influenced by the other veteran Magical Girl too much, resulting in her becoming one of them as well. They could not let that happen...

Of course, she could get rid of the problem this instant. A single flame would set the whole barrier ablaze and kill both Miki Sayaka and Tomoe Mami. They would not be able to kill the Witch before the fire burned them to death, which was the only way to get out of the inferno.

But then again, Madoka would not like that. And this was the one thing Lilly really cared about besides her own and Homura's wellbeing. So she discarded the idea, even when she thought it a good one.

 _I should keep that in mind just in case..._

In case she was found out, she could just lure the Magical Girls into another barrier and have them burn. So she had a contingency plan, which was more than she had before. That in turn led back to her main problem, namely her lack of combat capabilities.

But on the other hand, why would she need anything for direct combat? Homulilly was an observer, supporter and runner, not a fighter. She could stall for larger amounts of time and come up with a plan, so it was fine.

It was fine.

With a start, she realised that it was completely unnecessary to force herself to get stronger. She already had the strength she needed, just not like she wanted. And she had been spacing out, seeing that she almost jumped when Homura placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We're done here. Let's get going."

"Uh... right."

The 'twins' looked at each other for a moment, then the Magical Girl marched off and the Witch followed with Madoka holding on to her. Sayaka and Mami were talking about how to improve the blunette's fighting style, but that was not interesting. This barrier though... it consisted of candy.

With a curious look, Lilly took a part of another giant cookie when they came close to it. When she put it in her mouth, Madoka noticed and looked at her with startled expression. "Yuri-chan?!"  
The pinkette's terrified tone gained the others' attention as well and the Magical Girls were looking her way. She just continued to munch on her impromptu meal and returned the stare. Homura shook her head while the remaining two looked as startled as girl right next to her. When she took her second bite out of the crumb she was holding, they came running her way. "Akemi-san, stop! You don't know what this could do to you!"

However, both of them became slower as they went until they stopped completely right in front of her, staring as the Witch continued to eat without paying them any mind. Although it might also be her disinterested stare that had them stop.

Between two bites, Lilly noted something: "Calm down, that's just a cookie. And a good one at that."

As the last part of the crumb was chewed, Sayaka snapped at her: "Why the heck do you need to eat cookies from a place like this? Don't you have any at home?!"

No, they had not. Mostly because the Witch invested her part of the budget in food that had more nutrients and thus more energy. But even then, she shrugged at the blunette. "There were more important things I had to take care of and Homura wouldn't bake me any, so I have to make do."

"Then bake some yourself, duh?"

Now she was clearly being mocked and had to keep her temper in check lest she might hit the other girl. Sayaka still looked alienated and confused by Lilly's sudden change in behaviour. However, the eldritch being did not really care for that. She just cocked an eyebrow and replied with a slight trace of venom in her voice: "Taken into account that I can't bake, no thank you."

Of course she could learn it, but she very well remembered her last attempt at doing something in the kitchen. As it seemed, she was not made for that.

"Besides, you are still banned from the kitchen", Homura added nonchalantly while the Witch just sighed at the reminder. "I know. Besides, shouldn't you all keep your eyes open? Or do you want those minions to sneak up on us?"

As Mami and Sayaka whirled around, there was indeed a group of Pyotr slowly closing in on them. Also, Lilly noticed that the barrier became more colourful and Charlotte's scent started to grow stronger. The other Witch woke from her slumber but was not yet fully awake.

Those minions did not have much luck, though; before Sayaka could even initiate her charge, several shots rang out and golden bullets pierced the lowly creatures, having them evaporate almost in an instant.

"Wow, Mami-san! You're really good at this!", Madoka cheered while the Witch next to her just rolled her eyes and exchanged a glance with her 'sister'. This was not good.

"I appreciate to hear that, Kaname-san. That's just a lot of practice, though."

The blonde was modest, even Lilly understood that much. There was no actual need for her not to be proud of her strength, though she might not think of it as that herself.

"Whatever, we should get moving."

With those words, she motioned for the direction the last group of enemies had come from. As much as she would love to eat everything in this barrier, she had to get Madoka out of this and quick.

Mami nodded and waved at Sayaka to take the lead again.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

About six dozen minions, thirty rifles and fifteen cutlasses later, they reached the lair of the Witch and nothing big happened; they just walked out of a tunnel into a room roughly fourty meters high and even longer than that. It was full of sweets of any kind and two dolls sat at a table in the center on high chairs. One of them looked their way once they entered but kept to watching for now.

"Alright, then. Let us..."

Mami did not finish the sentence, seeing that Homura had put a hand on her shoulder, her eyes narrowed and her gaze directed at the Witch.

"Do not take it lightly. Something is off about this one."

"Wait a sec... aren't Witches big, gross somethings? That's just a doll!"

Sayaka was regarded with a blank stare, then the time traveler sighed. "Tomoe-san, please shoot it from here, do not get any closer and prepare to dodge."

As she gave her instructions, Lilly already started to lead the one actual human of the group away from the Witch of Sweets, although she noticed that her eyes were following them.

 _You are most definitely this Nagisa-girl... could it be that you remember Madoka's kind words?_

It was more likely that the eldritch creature was just sensing the pinkette's strong scent. After all, it attracted even Lilly who despised the smell of humans, so the effect on a normal Witch...

However, Charlotte had no chance to eye them anymore as she was headshotted thrice in rapid succession and fell down from the chair. Looking over to them, she could see Mami standing in front of the other Magical Girls, throwing the third spent rifle away only for it to vanish once she paid no more attention to it.

This was also a waste, Lilly thought. Right now, she was alone with barely smelling beings and Madoka, so she could concentrate even when the hunger of her fellow Witch clouded the lair. Said being rose from the ground until it floated several meters in the sky. The spots at the cloth on her face where Mami's bullets had hit her were blackened, but it did not even look angry. Or... it was not really visible whether her expression changed. Though the gargantuan caterpillar emerging from her mouth was indicating that Charlotte had become furious indeed.

With a surprised squeak, Madoka held onto her arm while Mami and Sayaka jumped out of the way, the Witch crushing into the ground where they stood before. Homura had simply timestopped her way out of the danger zone, reappearing on one of the tables that were scattered all around the barrier. Both the blonde and the blunette stared at the creature that was not so cute anymore: a giant serpent with black, dotted skin whose face was completely white with a pointed nose and eyes with several rings of colours. Once its head reemeerged from the ground, one could see the long rows of razor-sharp teeth adorning the wide mouth. It did not even spare them a glance anymore, so Lilly could enjoy the feeling of Madoka pressing against her arm. But even then, a small portion of herself stayed attentive, just in case.

Charlotte was looking at Sayaka now, her being the first one she found again after all of the Magical Girls changed their position. The blunette just stood there for a full five seconds as the worm came closer and everyone could see that her knees were shaking.

"Get a hold of yourself, Miki Sayaka."

With those words, Homura appeared behind the blunette that jumped in surprise and looked at her. "I didn't kill it yet because you should have the chance to train. If you just want to stay around, there is no need to waste more time in here."

"What... you...! Just... give me a second."

"You don't have that much time", the time traveler replied to the angry demand as she grabbed the rookie's hand and pulled her sideways, thus preventing her from getting eaten as the Witch charged her.

"Cut it out, you two", Mami chided, swinging by on an impromptu rope consisting of ribbons that were attached somewhere in the ceiling. Just when did she create that?

"Calm down and take your time, Miki-san. We can distract her a bit longer."

But unfortunately, the Witch had already recovered and came up behind the blonde, who was still looking at her companions. Sayaka pointed. "Watch out, Mami-san!"

As she was still screaming, a shot rang out and hit the ribbon the veteran was holding on to, sending her flying to the ground and having Charlotte bite into thin air.

As she fell, Mami created another set of ribbons below herself and used them as a jump-pad to get onto one of the tables just as the other two jumped there as well. Homura held a pistol in her hand but said nothing. Her expression did not change, either.

"Wow... they're all so strong..."

Lilly looked to her side where Madoka was eyeing the Magical Girls in awe. Although being looked at seemed to have her realise what exactly she was doing and she quickly let go of her arm. "Oh, I'm really sorry, Yuri-chan! I didn't..."

"It's fine", she just interrupted the pinkette, sighing inwardly. Just why did she have to stop? It was such a nice feeling.

"And don't idolize them too much. Tomoe-san got almost killed there."

Just like so many other times. Only today, Homura had not been bound in place by her before so she could help.

"Um... okay... but... don't you think they look cool, too?"

She kept quiet as Sayaka started to charge the side of the caterpillar, though the cuts in her skin did not even seem to be noticed by the Witch that was still trying to eat Mami. Homura was mostly standing around and watched, intercepting the creature a few times as to smoothen the other girls' escapes. After a while however, her 'sister' seemed to have had enough. At one moment where the three Magical Girls were close to each other, she told the other two something Lilly could not understand and got a few nods.

When they separated, Mami jumped onto one of the tables and kept standing there as the Witch closed in on her, her stare getting more hungry by the second.

"Huh? What's happening there?"

Madoka was still watching with interest while the Witch next to her raised an eyebrow at this strategy. "Either I'm stupid or they use Tomoe-san as bait..."

As it turned out, she was not stupid; Mami stayed where she was until the Witch chomped down on her, thus earning a startled screech from the pinkette. However, she reappeared a moment after on a table closeby. But... Homura was carrying her. Bridal style.

The time traveler quickly let her partner down while saying something, receiving another nod in return. Lilly could actually smell the lingering fear of the other veteran, but she did as she was told so the game of chomping and not actually biting anything but the table continued a few more times, much to Madoka's confusion.

"What... just what are they..."

Lilly just put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "You know, that Witch looks really tough on the outside, so Homura wants to fight it from the inside... however, she has to open her mouth for that. At least that's my guess."

Again, blond and black reappeared, but it was different this time; instead of attacking them again, Charlotte stood still for a few seconds befire... erupting slightly, as if she was belching. Black smoke started to rise from her mouth before another explosion ripped her body apart, only for a second serpent to emerge from where the first one had been. It exploded as well, giving way for a third, than came a fourth and the fifth was the last one. When it died in a hail of fire as well, the barrier started to fade and Lilly sighed inwardly.

One more Grief Seed she would not get.


	13. Knowledge Is a Powerful Weapon

At least she got to eat the blackness from Homura's Soul Gem afterwards.

The remainder of the day had mostly been training for the idiot so Lilly went somewhere else with her 'sister' and Madoka. There was no need to worry about the blunette being alone with Mami now, seeing that all hope was lost for her so no harm was done with that anymore. Unfortunately though, it would be harder to keep Madoka safe.

Lilly put that to the back of her mind as she looked out of the window. She was by herself and the bus was mostly empty while Kazamino was already in sight, a quiet little town not as modern as Mitakihara and also smaller.

 _This is where Sakura Kyoko lives..._

If she was honest, Mortal World's Witch was afraid. Just a small bit but still... this girl was pragmatic and preferred to disregard morals when it would give her something so all she needed to do was bring her to listen. Once Lilly could cut a deal with the redhead, she won.

 _But what could I offer..._

The general idea was to get the Magical Girl to accept the human-shaped Witch roaming her territory, killing off some Familiars and Witches while testing and training her abilities. There were a few things she could give but the most valuable one -constantly cleaning the redhead's Soul Gem- would be rejected anyway so there was no need to even bring it up. Therefore, Lilly would go with offering the Grief Seeds the other Witches dropped even when she would prefer to eat those. At least there were other things she could stuff her stomach with. For example could she eat every minion in their barriers first. That might take some time but she got something out of it... although that might go faster if she had her actual size and mouth but there was no time to complain.

As the bus stopped at the outskirts of Kazamino, Lilly got out and stretched slightly. It had been fifty minutes of sitting in there and there had at least been almost no one else taking this route at nine in the morning. She skipped school but barely cared for that. All those people that needed to know -namely Madoka and Homura- had been told about her detour so it was fine. Should someone ask about her whereabouts, her 'sister' would cover for her.

There were a few Familiars nearby but little did she... no, actually, one of them was rather interesting; it already killed a few people and emanated an almost witchlike scent, so it was not far away from becoming one. Which in turn meant that Sakura Kyoko was bound to appear to take it down soon.

Although the redhead might be somewhere else at this moment. There were half a dozen magical presences around her within five hundred meters alone and several more in the distance, so it was hard to pinpoint the one that was different especially because Magical Girl's had a rather thin personal aura.

So for now, Lilly started to walk a way straight towards the center of town, looking for anything the girl she was searching might be interested in.

 _Food and the arcade... not that much to look into..._

But even then, she continued to worry. Revealing her nature was always a risk especially since Kyubey could be around the next corner.

Also, Lilly realised something else: with so many magical presences around that overshadowed the reek of humans, she could breath a little bit easier than she normally would. Normally, a being got used to smells they were taking in constantly at some point but unfortunately, this did not work for her. For whatever reason this was, the disgusting scent would never become any weaker to her senses, constantly stimulating her stomach to empty itself. Another reason why she decided to take some of the smaller alleys.

Those were also a bit darker so she felt better within them anyway. Lilly was still trying to disinguish the Magical Girl but also avoiding those alleyways that smelled with filthy emotions of greed or lust or the like, indicating that there were ambushes for inattentive passengers. Of course those would be no problem to her but she preferred not to get in trouble at all.

Yes, she had enough strength in her body to kill human adults but getting injured if they carried weapons was not a good idea. Additionally, someone might find the bodies or watch her killing them off, so that was no good.

Though... she should try out whether it was actually a good idea to eat a human soul sometime soon. Maybe it just smelled disgusting but tasted acceptable. Since she was far away, Madoka would never learn about that.

Since this was her only reason for not killing humans in the first place, there was nothing against it here, although there had been none to do it before, either; her desire to eat them was nonexistent, mostly because of the disgusting smell.

As Lilly pondered what to do about this, she could sense a Witch disappearing closeby and started to cheer inwardly. There she had a lead; Sakura Kyoko was on the hunt.

With a quick glance around, the human-shaped Witch made sure that no one was watching before making a running start towards the place, hoping that the girl she searched for was not in a hurry. If she got away before Lilly arrived, it would be hard to actually find out what scent was hers so that she could follow the trace.

In retrospect, dashing through a small alley was not the best idea, seeing that she ran into someone head-first as she rounded a corner.

""Ow!""

She ran with enough speed to make the person she hit stumble backwards and fall to the ground with the Witch landing on top of her.

 _New rule: no more running._

As she rubbed her head and sat up, she noticed something. Something that had her look down with a certain amount of dread; a source of magic was right under her.

And indeed there was a redhead lying in seedy clothes, staring up at her both in surprise and shock, the latter most likely because her Soul Gem was emanating a strong red light that indicated a Witch nearby. Which was true, seeing that one was sitting right on top of her.

They looked at each other for another moment, then Lilly rose to her feet and took a step back so that the other girl could get up as well. The Witch was still rubbing her head as she looked over this Magical Girl. A social outcast that just did about everything to get through life her own way... the last part was familiar to her.

"What the hell?"

She was still stared at but those hard, red eyes were narrowed now and going by her posture, the other girl was only seconds from transforming even though her Soul Gem stopped shining.

"Uh... at least... I found you."

Her exasperated tone had the redhead give her another sharp look. "You're looking for me?"

She nodded and stopped rubbing her head. It was still pulsing a bit but she felt better already. "I... have a proposal to make to you, Sakura Kyoko."

As she called her name, the other girl advanced a step and started to smirk. But not the kind Lilly liked, more the kind that she displayed herself on rare occasions. "A proposal, eh? What if I tell you to get lost because I don't care?"

Now it was for the Witch to smirk. She did not know defense, only offense. Therefore, she headed forward. "You won't without at least listening. Because you are well aware that your knowledge is limited so there might be something that is actually useful to you in my possession."

Much to her amazement, the redhead did not even cock an eyebrow upon receiving the same look she displayed herself. This girl was of a far different kind than Miki Sayaka, that much was for sure. Also, her smirk started to become at least less dangerous. "You're smarter than I thought but I don't like how much you know."

To that, Lilly just flicked her hair and sighed. "Knowledge is a powerful weapon, you know? That's why I try to get as much of it as possible. However, I haven't come here to exchange pleasantries. Good thing you aren't one for that, either."

She was eyed warily but barely cared for it. Instead, she motioned for the way she had come from. "Would you mind walking with me for a moment? There's a fed up Familiar this way so you might want to check on it."

Another look but the other girl started moving and so did Lilly. The initial contact went better than expected, even though it did not happen as expected. At least there was no need to flee.

"Don't get any wrong ideas. I'm just listening to what you've got to say and then you leave my territory."

A sideway glance was cast to the Magical Girl before the Witch nodded and shrugged. "Whatever. I have no need to be here when I won't get that agreement. And since I'm sure you thought about that: killing me is impossible for you, so don't even think about taking my Grief Seed."

As she voiced that with the kind indifferent tone others might use for chit-chat, the other girl stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her wide-eyed which made her cock an eyebrow. "Why are you acting so surprised now? You could sense it before."

Maybe she figured that it was just reacting to being so close to another Magical Girl... or that she just imagined the glow for some reason. Whatever it was, the other girl was at a loss for words so Lilly just sighed and added a short explanation. "While I am a Witch, I have no interest in this place or the people. Don't ask why I'm in a human body, that's my own problem."

Another wary glare from Kyoko but nothing more. The redhead continued to walk and shook her head. "That's really not my day... how did you even find me?"

The Witch just snickered humourlessly and pointed at her forehead. "I can sense magic, though you were hard to find among all the Familiars since Magical Girls are not that easy to locate. Good thing you killed off one of the Witches around so I knew where to look."

The other girl apparently stopped wondering by now and started to simply take everything afterwards as it came.

"So you're telling me that you know exactly where Witches and Familiars are?"

Lilly sighed and nodded while looking sideways to her current companion. "Not exactly, but I can pinpoint them well enough. For example... there are currently seven Familiars and a Witch within five hundred meters of us... wait... that have been eight Familiars a few minutes ago. I guess the fed one ate another human."

The redhead smirked about her casual tone and held out her Soul Gem that started to glow slightly. "Yeah, I can feel that one."

Then her eyes became harder and she looked back at the raven-haired girl suspiciously.

"But back to business; what do you want?"

The Witch took a few more steps in silence, pondering whether she should just say it up front. But then again, this was one of the most forward people she knew of so there would be no problem with being honest. At least none she would not get otherwise as well. For this reason, Lilly just sighed. "I want to hunt in Kazamino."

As she heard that, Kyoko stopped again and measured her for a moment. It became more of a glare once she added "Witches and Familiars, that is".

It was to be expected. This girl was a loner and a good example for a strong Magical Girl; independent from everyone and only looking out for herself. However, that could be used against her.

"As if I'd let a Witch go kill my prey. Magical Girls are the top of the food chain and you better know your place."

Not the best of threats but she could not know that. Although Lilly could make her point easily, which was why she just raised an eyebrow as she replied to the redhead: "Do you happen to have a used up Grief Seed? You don't need it anymore so there's no problem in giving it to me."

She got another glare but ultimately, Kyoko complied and threw a pulsating object at her. She catched the heart of her fellow Witch and looked at it for a moment, then back at the Magical Girl that was eyeing her.

"You mentioned the food chain. So... I guess humans are weak, so they are eaten by my kin. Then you Magical Girls come in and eat us. Correct?"

A nod and a smirk. "So you do kn..."

The sentence would never be finished. Kyoko stared in shock as Lilly just broke one of the metal bars out of the Grief Seed and put it in her mouth. Crunching noises could be heard as she chewed it, savoring the wonderful taste. Once she swallowed that part, she looked down at her new snack. "You know, those things are actually delicious but no one could appreciate them like I do. The metal is crunchy and full of dark thoughts, a bit angry."

She continued tearing the exterior apart, ripped off the tip and bottom and ate those as well until the only thing left in her hand was the black core of the Seed. Kyoko still gawked at her as Lilly smirked herself. "But the core always has a unique flavour. This one smells like sadness and hatred, but it's actually..."

Gingerly, she put that part into her mouth and cracked it open with her teeth. The piercing scream of the dying Witch was ignored. She was the only one that could hear it, anyway.

With a happy expression, Lilly chewed away on the delicacy and finished her statement once she was done: "It's actually more of despair with a tinge of lust."

She resisted the urge to lick her fingers since there was nothing left on them. It was tempting to try, though. Also, the energy she just consumed made her feel warm and tingly while Kyoko's Soul Gem started to glow stronger for a moment until she stored the power in her own Grief Seed, her presence vanishing from the other girl's senses again.

"I don't view myself as being as lowly as the other Witches so you shouldn't, either."

She was far greater a being than any other on Earth but being arrogant would not help her much more than that. At worst, it would make Kyoko angry which she should avoid at all costs.

After a few more seconds of just looking, the redhead sighed and shook her head. "You're one strange girl, y'know?"

Then her gaze became a bit more curious. "You're talking as if you'd know me. Why's that?"

They continued to walk and Lilly chuckled. "I said it before: knowledge is power. I revealed myself to you accidentally but I planned to do so anyway. Had I not, I would have killed you to make sure no one learns about what I am."

She cast a sideway glance to the other girl that was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Which makes you the very first being that learned about my identity. Not even Kyubey is aware of that."

This was as far as she would tell her companion. Any more would create trouble, should she decide to work against Lilly. However, Kyoko seemed more confused than annoyed with what she heard. "Then you'd know that I'm only working for myself. Why'd you come and tell me all this stuff?"

Once again, she was made aware of a simple fact; humans were not stupid. That Magical Girl found the one hole in her story she could not get out of with half-truths. Realising that again, the Witch sighed. "Honestly, this is the best chance I have. Survival is my top priority right now and once Tomoe Mami even suspects something, I'm dead. I'm not sure that I can take her down without ambushing her. But if I do that, there are a few more girls that might contract to take revenge."

As she told her, Kyoko started to smirk and it grew wider the more she was told. When Lilly finished, the redhead snickered just like she had done before. "So you're from Mitakihara? Ahahaha, you poor Witch. Makes sense, though; Mami's one of the strongest veterans out there. So she's 'Senpai' again?"

Once the question was confirmed with a slight nod, the Magical Girl put a hand on her forehead. "So you want to come here... for what? Hunting to get some more experience?"

Lilly nodded again. She did not like to be so honest about herself at all but there was no real choice she had here. Either that or killing off Mami and while Madoka contracting to take revenge was a lie, Sayaka might very well come after her. Still, she needed all the powerful Magical Girls alive or Walpurgis would become a significant problem.

"Partly. Some of my abilities are not fully developed so I need a secure location to experiment. No one will notice another Witch among all those familiars and think anything of it. And of course, I never expected to get that from you for free. As I said: it's a proposal, so you give me something and I give you something in return."

She was given another curious look and the redhead nodded, apparently a bit more at ease. "I'm listening."

Which meant that she would at least consider. Now it was all or nothing but the eldritch being was still careful, not taking her eyes off the Magical Girl for even a split-second. In the worst possible ending, Sakura Kyoko would decide to just ignore her offer and make an attempt for her life. It was possible and thus, she was cautious.

"In exchange for letting me hunt in Kazamino, I will hand over every Grief Seed I obtain from killing Witches to you. Also, I'll help you with finding some of them if they hide better than usual or run away. Additionally, I can take care of every used-up Seed you have when I'm here."

As the other girl thought about her words, Lilly kept a close eye on her. If she reached for her Soul Gem, the Witch would take safety measures at once.

However, this was not necessary. Kyoko shrugged. "Sounds like a good deal to me. Though... you're going to eat those Grief Seeds, right? Why should I feed you?"

Now this was something she had no explanation for until a few minutes ago when it occured to her and thus, she still smirked at the redhead: "To mess with Kyubey."

As she stated it like this, she got a dumbfounded stare from her companion, although it changed into a wide smirk after a moment. "Sounds good to me. Deal."

They shook hands, the red Soul Gem was glowing again and Lilly felt a lot more at ease now that she had a safe place to train. This did go better than she thought it would. However, she needed to be careful nonetheless; Kyoko could always stab her in the back. It was unlikely, but still possible.

While most humans deemed paranoia unhealthy, it was Lilly's personal favourite. Every being that could potentially kill her might do so so she had to keep her eyes open. That way she avoided getting nasty surprises in the future, at least she hoped she would. And of course, Homura was not included in the circle of people she needed to observe, seeing that she was unable to harm the Witch anyway.

However, the sound of chewing pulled her out of her thoughts. The redhead next to her started to munch on some kind of sweets. Also, they were still walking towards wherever Lilly was headed; going by the light the Soul Gem emanated, the Witch she sensed was close. In fact, the entrance to the barrier was around the next corner.

As they stood in front of the opening rift, Kyoko turned her head and looked at her. "What's your name?"

"Hm? Oh, right."

She completely forgot that she did not introduce herself. How improper...

"Humans know me as Akemi Yuri."

With a nod, the Magical Girl continued moving. "Alright then. I'll take this one. Later."

Then she transformed and went into the barrier. Lilly just shook her head and turned away. She might get along with this girl.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

 _'May I ask you something, Homura?'_

With her usual expression, the time traveler turned her face towards Kyubey, who was sitting on the table right next to Mami. Madoka and Sayaka had taken their seats next to each other to her right hand and eyed the Incubator.

"What is it?"

 _'You informed us that your sister is sorting something out... but why does this include going to Kazamino?'_

So she had been seen taking the bus. At least the creature had not followed her, be it either because it did not deem her that important or because it preferred to stay out of Sakura Kyoko's reach. Whatever it was, the question got Mami attentive and surprised while the other two looked more confused than anything else, although Sayaka did not seem too fazed by it. "Kazamino? Isn't that the next town over?"

"It is, Miki-san. But I wonder what your sister is doing there as well, Akemi-san", Mami chimed in with a raised eyebrow. Homura tilted her head and returned the inquisitive gaze nonchalantly. "You should ask her about her reasons. I'm not her mother so she doesn't have to ask for my permission. Though I assume you have something in mind she could do over there?"

Again, this was not a lie; Lilly never told her what exactly she was doing.

"It is not exactly about the 'what,' but more about the 'who'. Another veteran is living there."

Before Homura could reply to the blonde, Sayaka started to ask questions. "Really? Why wouldn't you team up with her, then? I mean, isn't it safer to have a bigger group?"

As the questioning began, Mami just sighed and looked down. This was not entirely because of her being unhappy with the behaviour of most Magical Girls, Homura knew. That girl had some history with Sakura Kyoko.

"I really wished it was that easy. Most Magical Girls tend to be very territorial and fight over the Grief Seeds they can get. Actually, I thought Akemi-san to be one of those at first but I can see that I was wrong now."

The girl in question ignored the confession and closed her eyes before saying something herself: "Yuri knows of Sakura Kyoko's presence. However, she is perfectly safe. Going by what we learned about her beforehand, she will not waste her magic on a person that can't even make a contract. If they even meet, that is. Also, I do recall", she added with a look at the newly contracted Magical Girl and Madoka, "that Yuri told you about how Magical Girls generally work already."

Both of them blushed at the remark and looked down sheepishly. Sayaka scratched her head. "Well, now that you mention it..."

As the sentence was not finished, the time traveler stopped herself from any display of annoyance. This was exactly the reason Miki Sayaka was most likely the first to die. But this time around, she could not have that.

"Um... now that I remember... Homura-chan? Did you find out anything about that Witch Yuri-chan mentioned? The one that kills other Witches?"

This time, Mami and Kyubey became attentive as well. The blonde's eyes narrowed slightly and she sent the other veteran an inquisitive look. "Now what would this mean, Akemi-san? Shouldn't you have told me about a Witch as unusual as this?"

Madoka had an expression as if she just said something forbidden and Sayaka looked up again, more curious than before. However, neither of them interrupted the silence as everyone was waiting for her answer.

Of course this had to come up at some point, but she was rather sure that she could tell them without revealing anything. So instead of shying away like her former self might have done or refusing to answer as she normally would, Homura returned the pinkette's look blankly. "Nothing new. Her movement doesn't seem to have any pattern, at least none that I can see. Also, it's rather difficult to actually keep an eye on her."

With the last part, her gaze wandered over to Mami. This would be a bit more difficult. "I found the Witch by chance... or to be more exact, Yuri did when she fell into a barrier. We never even saw it, but we know that it goes around and kills other Witches, though mostly Familiars. You might have noticed that there were less of them around than usual for the last weeks."

A slight nod and the wary expression faded, but it was not completely gone. "Why didn't you tell me, then?"

Because if she did, this mad girl would have started a goosehunt. However, Homura would not say that to her face. At least not with this wording.

"You are very strict about what to do with Witches. I knew that once I told you, you would go and hunt this one. However, there is neither the need to nor is it a good idea. This Witch doesn't attack humans, only her own kin. Therefore, she poses no actual threat and in addition to that, she is very good at hiding and getting around unnoticed so she could wear you out long before actually facing you."

"Actually", Madoka chimed in with a thoughtful expression, looking down at her hands that were folded in her lap, "that Witch saved us from a Familiar a few days ago. It might have been a coincidence but I don't think she's evil..."

"Hm..."

Mami pondered what was said with her eyes closed while taking a few more sips of her tea. After a while of silence, she sighed and looked at Homura again. "I guess you are right about this, Akemi-san. But I would really like if you told me about occurences like those beforehand."

The time traveler just tilted her head slightly, returning a blank look to the small display of hurt on the blonde's face. "I will."

 _Once I'm sure that you don't go and get yourself killed the moment I tell you_ , she added with an internal sigh. This partner of hers really was a handful but she could keep it up, at least for another two weeks. If Miki Sayaka survived until then, chances were good that they could defeat Walpurgis.

 _'While we are at it: I wonder what else you have been told by Akemi Yuri. Would you mind telling me?'_

Kyubey sat in front of Sayaka now but its gaze was fixed on Madoka. Homura slightly shifted in her position to shoot it if necessary. The pinkette on her part looked a bit surprised but also slightly scared at the creature suddenly being so close. At least that part of Lilly's plan did work, apparently.

"Um... let's see..."

Sayaka looked down at the Incubator. "Well, she told us about this Witch, about your contracts and wishes... about how being a Magical Girl is a tough job and... there was something else... do you remember, Madoka?"

As she was spoken to, the pinkette nodded slightly with a finger on her cheek. "Yuri-chan said something about a Witch getting born for every girl that contracts with you."

Homura cringed and Mami's eyes became a bit wider. Kyubey's ears perked up and it walked a few steps closer to the pinkette, though it did not leave the table. Then it turned its head to Homura. ' _Since you have to be aware of this as well, could you elaborate?'_

"That... I would like to know as well", her blond partner added with a frown to which the time traveler just sighed and folded her hands in her lap. She had a slight problem; Kyubey was well aware of what this meant, so now it had been tipped off even more. She just had to hope that it could not piece the puzzle together yet.

"As far as we are concerned, there has to be an explanation for the constant stream of Witches appearing. They can't all come from breeding Familiars so there has to be another reason. As we found it, the creation of a Magical Girl creates hope and in curses, a Witch is born to equal that girl out. Where and how this happens, we still don't know. However... I wonder... what do you have to say, Kyubey? Is this theory correct?"

She had to lie openly this time. However, it might throw the Incubator onto another lead and buy them some time. For its part, the creature tilted its head and kept quiet for a moment.

 _'There is nothing that needs to be corrected.'_

Perfect. This meant that it was simply unwilling to sacrifice Mami so early in. Said blonde was looking at Kyubey in shock. "So... this is true? Why did you never tell me?"

It turned its head again to face the other veteran. _'Because you never asked. I never deemed it necessary to inform you, seeing that it would not have changed anything, anyway.'_

Yes, it would have. "Senpai" would not have been so eager to recruit new Magical Girls. However, the hurt look Mami had there for a moment indicated something else Homura noticed her 'sister' did without even realising it: by giving this information to Madoka, she made it so that Mami's absolute trust in Kyubey began to crumble. It might just be a slight turn off-balance at this point but that was enough. With a bit more time, they might be able to get Mami to distrust the Incubator as well.

If that happened, their chances would become better for sure.


	14. You're Unbelievable

"Say, Homura-chan..."

As she was spoken to, the time traveler turned her head towards the gentle pinkette she was accompanying. Madoka no longer looked uncomfortable being around her which she did not know how to put. This was the second day they went around town together, seeing that Mami started to tutor Sayaka. As this happened, the other veteran volunteered to go patrolling and insisted on the one human of the group coming with her. As she was asked for the reason, she simply stated that her ally had her hands full with making sure that her junior was not going to get herself killed, so no one could actually watch over the pinkette.

She won the discussion with this argument even when Madoka herself was a bit reluctant to let her friend alone.

"What is it?"

"Um..."

Now she became nervous, though. Fidgeting with her skirt, she searched for the words to say before looking up at her again. "Yuri-chan said that you lost a lot of people you care for..."

In fact it had only been one person... over and over. However, Homura now understood why the other girl was so reluctant; she did not want to bring up bad memories. So the time traveler just flicked her hair. "I lost count on how many a while ago so there is no need to be shy about it. Yes, I did."

As the sinking sun engulfed them in a relaxing, orange light, Homura could feel its warmth on her face. However, Madoka's sad expression was at least a bit worrying but still, she would not tell her any specifics. If she did, the tragedy from last time might repeat itself.

"But... you seem to cope with it... isn't it hard for you?"

A measuring glance was sent the pinkette's way, then Homura shook her head. "This is mostly a matter of acceptance. Once the contract is made, one exchanges everything for her wish. Most girls can't accept this but I had no problem with it. This is another reason why people like you are not cut out to become Magical Girls", she added with a sharp look although it became blank a mere second after before she sighed about the surprised expression she was shown. "The more you have to sacrifice for this wish, the more you will come to regret it afterwards. I had nothing to begin with so I had no troubles parting with what I thought was the life I had to live."

"But..."

She knew this sympathetic expression. She knew it all too well... Madoka was just too kind.

"But that's so sad... fighting for the rest of your life..."

A few tears started to well up in her eyes and if Homura could do as she pleased, she would have wiped them away, hugged her and told her that it would be fine... but she could not, so she did not. Even when it hurt her to see her single best friend cry.

"This is the world I entered and there is no..."

This was one of those sentences she would never finish. The sheer surprise of what Madoka had just done stopped her from doing anything; the pinkette practically jumped at her and hugged her tightly, although the time traveler could hear her sniffling.

There was no one around to see them but this was still... Homura felt her cheeks redden and her mask break to display her surprise openly. At least Madoka could not see it...

"This is so sad... even when I want to believe you that you manage, I... can't..."

The slender arms wrapped around her back squeezed tighter and threw the Magical Girl into a storm of emotions. Slowly her own arms rose and slid around Madoka's shoulders, pulling the slightly surprised girl in a bit more.

"Huh?"

Apparently she did not expected to be hugged back but Homura had lost control over herself. She was not breaking but this had still been too much. A single tear found its way out of her eye and rolled down her cheek as she whispered something into the slightly smaller girl's ear: "You are far too kind... Madoka..."

As she was called by her first name without any honorifics, another surprised sound escaped the pinkette's throat. Then however, she increased the force in her arms and just held her. Or was it Homura holding her? She was not sure. The warmth where their bodies touched felt nice, though.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Mind if I ask you something, A... Homura?"

Slowly, the time traveler's eyes rose from the cup she was holding and met the curious blue gaze as Mami and Madoka watched the two. "What is it?"

In response the blunette rubbed her temples sheepishly as if she was unsure on how to voice her question. Going by what she said next, she appeared to have decided on taking the direct approach: "What's the matter with your sister? I haven't seen her for three days now, what's she doing all this time?"

Homura took another sip of tea as she pondered the question. Lilly already told her how to respond to this one in particular so there was really no need to think about it much. However, she had to think about what the other girls were to think. Though... this should be no problem. So the raven-haired girl put down the cup and gave the rookie a stern look. "From what I heard, she feels quite well doing things her own way. Though this might also be connected to the fact that certain 'people' stepped on her nerves a bit too often."

The two at the sidelines exchanged a glance; apparently they understood that she meant the blunette in front of her. Said girl was still looking at her in confusion, though that became more of an understanding expression once Mami spoke: "So she is holding a grudge against Miki-san?"

"Wait, what? Why me?"

Understanding she did now, but only that it was her that Homura spoke about... now Madoka chimed in, displaying the slightest note of anger... although only the time traveler might hear it. "Because you kept teasing her, Sayaka-chan."

"Actually", Homura interjected before anything else could be said, thus gaining everyones' attention again, "this is mostly because of you contracting. Yuri actually expected you to listen instead of just throwing away the effort she made the instant she was not around."

Before the newly contracted Magical Girl could answer, Homura waved it off while still displaying her usual blank expression. "Just give her a few more days and she will join us again. Up until then, you should train."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Yo! Where've you been this morning?"

With a smirk, Kyoko waved at the raven-haired girl that appeared out of nowhere as she was walking down the alleyway. She actually jumped the first time that happened but got used to her doing that after it happened for the whole weekend. Apparently, the Witch made it a routine to tell her when she arrived. Yuri appeared around noon today when she came to Kazamino far earlier the last few days so the redhead was curious whether something happened. Maybe trouble with Mami?

She only got a cocked eyebrow over her question, though.. "You might not be aware of it but today is Monday. I can't skip school even when I want to."

So that was it. School. This ominous thing she herself did not care about. But hey, this strange girl would have her reasons.

"Whatever. Found something interesting?"

At this point, she was well aware that she made the right decision in accepting the deal. Yuri was like a hunting dog, could smell and track down even the most hideous of Witches with apparent ease. And every time they met, she told her of about one or two Familiars that were close to being completely fed and where she could find them. So at this point, Kyoko's stockpile consisted of six Grief Seeds and was therefore higher than ever before.

However, the Witch shook her head and started to walk by her side. "Not today. I think I was a bit too eager with the hunting..."

Now what did she mean with that? At the inquisitive stare she was given, Yuri sighed and held out a small box to her. Unadorned and simple, so not a present. Kyoko did not expect one, either. But she took it and looked inside only to almost drop it.

"Holy..."

There were about a dozen Grief Seeds inside, all neatly arranged and from the look of it, completely unused. The sight stunned the veteran to the point that the stick of Pocky she had in her mouth fell to the ground and was forgotten. Just how did this girl get so many?

"As I said, I overdid it... there should be... one or two Witches left in Kazamino and you have to wait for new ones to emerge..."

Wait a second, was that an apology?

Kyoko smirked and shrugged. "Whatever, I can hold my feet still for a month with these. Didn't expect you to bring that many, though."

As she closed the box, she took another stick out and after a moment of consideration, held out the pack towards the Witch in front of her. "Want some?"

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

With a sigh, Lilly sat down on the couch and leaned back. Homura was busy doing homework or so it seemed. However, when the human-shaped Witch had entered the living room, her 'sister' stopped and looked up.

"How did it go today?"

The other girl opened one eye to look in Homura's direction but remained in her position otherwise. "Well enough. Kyoko seems to get used to me and I do think that my little present from two days ago impressed her."

And who would not? More than half of all the Magical Girls never even saw twelve Grief Seeds before they died, let alone twelve at once. Though she really could have taken one half for herself... however, Lilly was proud about her superiority, so she would keep her word. Never would she be as lowly as a human and break it, especially when Sakura Kyoko surpassed human standards with her being a Magical Girl. So all the Grief Seeds went to the redhead, whether she liked it or not.

"That impressed even me, so yes", her 'sister' confirmed. The look she had given her after she displayed the results of three days of constant hunting was priceless, after all. This was her specialty, hunting down the weak, finding them wherever they moved and burning them down. Though... she had not burned most of those Witches she hunted but instead started with eating their minions and barrier if that was possible. Additionally, she used her Telekinesis as often as possible and got quite a good grasp on it. Literally and Figuratively.

However, this was still just the basics...

"How is your training going?"

"Hm? Oh, right."

She forgot to tell Homura up until now, so her 'sister' must be curious. Even when she was still just receiving a blank stare, Lilly could tell that much and smirked. "I think my fire became a bit stronger. It knocked back the last few minions I burned down. Also... well, I still can't grab any living creatures with my mind lest I make them a puddle... but I got the gist of moving lifeless objects that don't move by themselves."

Then she leaned forwards while her smirk intensified. "So, how's it going on your end?"

She had been tired for the last few days so there had been little conversation before. However, since she decided to do a bit less hunting and focussed on finding a good spot to train properly, the strain was mostly gone now. Kyoko would only get mad if she ate all of the Familiars anyway.

"Tomoe Mami became suspecting of Kyubey but not to the point where she actually distrusts it. Miki Sayaka is doing rather well up until now, but if I take into account just how the events of this timeline unfolded... Shizuki Hitomi will confront her in less than a week, I suppose."

That in itself was not good. Esepcially since they could not just kill Hitomi... well, they could. But that would not help their cause.

Though... there was one more thing she wanted to experiment with. Lilly would think about that later. Now, it was time to tease her 'sister' a little. Her smirk widened and she winked at Homura. "Actually, I meant between you and Madoka. Don't tell me she didn't make a move when you two were alone."

There it was, just as she expected; a slight tinge of pink on Homura's face that told her everything she needed to know. For once her plan actually worked as she wanted it to.

"What do you... wait..."

The stare the Magical Girl gave her mixed surprise, suspicion and a small bit of anger into an interesting combination. "You didn't..."

Now her smirk became a smile and she nodded. "I did. Though I didn't believe that it would work this fast."

She managed to... somewhat set up Homura with the girl she loved. That was a good start to that, Lilly thought. Now she had to make this timeline the last one lest all this work would have been for nothing. But anyway, her 'sister' deserved at least some appreciation so she would get as much as the Witch could give her.

Homura just shook her head. "You're unbelievable..."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Mami-san?"

As she was spoken to, the blonde tore off her eyes from her own notes and towards the timid pinkette on the other side of the table. "What is it, Kaname-san?"

The younger girl was a nice person to be around, seeing that even Homura seemed to be a bit less cold at those moments. Mami put a liking to her as well even when she had not much time to socialise with her. Although that was mostly because they agreed on the fact that she herself was the better teacher for Miki, so she would not complain. The cheerful blunette was a good girl as well after all.

"I was just wondering... being a Magical Girl must be really hard work, so... how can you keep up with it?"

Now that question was unexpected. The blonde had not thought that anyone would ask for something like this, but she was happy nonetheless. Someone actually asking about her was a rare occasion. But then again, this was not a nice thing to think about; she had no friends apart from those girls that currently sat with her and learned for an upcoming test and even they went more under 'acquaintance' than 'friend'. Neither did she have any hobbies aside from baking, although the blonde herself had never been unhappy about it.

Still, her smile was somewhat wistful as she answered to the pinkette. "Actually, I manage my time rather well. Though... I have almost none for myself, seeing that the spare hours between school, homework and housework are completely filled with patrolling the city. So as you said, it is hard work. One has no time to have fun or go out anymore, but I am fine with that especially since all of you keep me company as of late."

Now both her and Miki smiled. However, the blunette got a hit on the back of her head from Homura and went back to look at her notes under inaudible curses. The third-year giggled at seeing that. In the end it might have been a bad idea of her pupil to ask the stoic veteran for help. However, the other Magical Girl seemed to have a good grasp on the subject even when she was not required to take this test because of her having transferred in no two weeks ago.

Though Mami wondered what the other Akemi-twin was doing in Kazamino all the time. Maybe she actually stumbled over Kyoko... but then again, those two would not really get along, right?

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Wait, what?! You've got to be kidding me!"

At the redhead's disbelieving stare, Lilly shook her head with a stern expression. "No, I mean it."

Interestingly, Kyoko kept quiet after that for a while, munching on a Taiyaki as the Witch that sat next to her on the bench was still savouring the flavour of the latest used-up Grief Seed. About the time she was done, the redhead continued: "I thought you didn't eat humans?"

To that the Witch just shrugged and sighed. "And I don't want to, either. But I have to at least try to make sure. Besides, I wanted to experiment on something else as well. Mind helping me to find a few good targets?"

Interestingly, she was rather sure that the worst that could happen in this situation was Kyoko declining. The other girl would neither scold nor resent her for what she planned on doing; such was the convenience of having lower morals.

Again, silence engulfed them. The Magical Girl was thoughtfully munching on a few sticks of Pocky while the Witch watched their surroundings. It was not yet evening so she might get at least one human today. The mere thought had her stomach hurt but she could not avoid it. Even when she was superior... no, exactly because she was, she had to make sure that humans tasted as disgusting as they smelled. If she did not, her conciousness would remind her of the possibility forever. After all, maybe there actually was a delicacy hidden behind these strong layers of dirt.

"You know what? I'm in. But don't get the wrong idea, I'm just curious."

That was about what Lilly expected. She smirked at Kyoko. "So am I."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

In retrospect, she should have known.

Their choice fell on a seedy looking woman close to her thirties whom her companion barely knew except for the fact that she was on the brink of getting eaten by a Familiar anyway. So they went there, Kyoko kept a hold of the scared human and the Witch started to experiment, first with whether her kisses could influence people. The answer was yes. However, she would not do that often, seeing that it demanded her to actually kiss the persons neck while infusing her lips with magic. At least that stupid woman stopped crying after she found the right spot and got her under control. This blank, thoughtless stare felt way better.

Then she just had her cut her own throat with a sharp piece of metal. Of course she could have done it without her prey killing itself, but this was easier... and the right choice, seeing that at least the smell stopped once her soul started to flow.

Well, that was about where it went wrong. No, that was when Lilly understood that it did.

A human soul is an interesting thing; it has no actual form because it is an essential part of the body itself. However, once a Witch extracted it, it formed a small greyish orb of about the size of an eye.

It stunk of all kinds of emotions and she should have understood what that meant beforehand but even if she had, there would have been no chance to avoid what she had to do.

The result... was a very disgusted Kyoko.

In her defense, Lilly had to admit, only very few would not be disgusted from being able to slightly smell the bad stench of the extracted soul first, then having to see someone actually chew on it... and empty her stomach right in the middle of this alleyway. Just that it was not regular vomit but some kind of black goo. Once that hit the ground, it disintegrated the stone until there was none of the substance left.

On the other hand, this was not that bad; this way, Lilly learned two things and did not have to learn another: She would never try to eat a human again and she could actually spit acid at opponents if necessary. Fortunately, there was no need to experiment with said acid because there was none left.

But still, she lost a lot of magic because of that. And went home earlier because her sore throat completely killed the good mood she was in before.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Another day of classes ended at last. Homura was rather glad about it, not because she had any trouble but mostly because Lilly might be close to killing someone again.

One or two days ago, someone found it a good idea to bully her 'sister'... that was, until a loose lamp fell onto the girl's head and sent her unconcious. Of course that was the official explanation and both Akemi's knew who was responsible for that. Thankfully, Kyubey had not noticed seeing that they tried to ambush Lilly after P.E. and the Incubator received several lectures about not going near the girl's changing room because of... several incidents. However, since it revealed its lack of gender to defend itself, Mami's distrust had grown some more. With every bit of new information she could lure out of the creature, the blonde became less sure of it which was a good thing in general. Yet, should the other veteran start to ask certain questions, things might get bad rather soon.

 _Now that I think about it, Kyubey has been awfully quiet for the last few days._

This in turn was never a good sign. It meant that the rat was investigating on its own, checking data and preparing for a large revelation. She could only hope that it would take a while longer until it found out about the Witch she was sheltering.

With a sigh, Homura dodged an incoming grade schooler who stopped when he passed her, turned and bowed in an apologeptic manner before storming off. Lilly chuckled as she saw it, waiting at the usual spot alongside Madoka and Mami. But strangely, no Sayaka... or... Hitomi.

 _Not good..._

Of course, since the wish to heal the boy was made sooner, the confrontation with Miki Sayaka's friend would be sooner as well. There were few other explanations for this constellation of people. Just why had she forgotten about that?

At least her blank expression concealed the mental self-beating, though her Witch nodded at her understandingly, apparently having done the same right now. So she had forgotten as well.

This might become a problem very soon...


	15. Nice To Meet You

Sayaka was in a bad mood and for a change, this was not related to homework.

 _That Hitomi has a crush on Kyousuke, too..._

She did not expect that so it had been a real surprise when her friend told her a few minutes ago. The well-mannered girl gave her time to sort out her own feelings until the weekend was over so the blunette had two days to decide on what to do.

But Sayaka had no idea right now; yes, she thought about confessing to her crush herself, but that might not be a good idea with her being a Magical Girl fighting Witches. Yuri made it very clear that she could die every day now if she was careless. And she understood that.

"Oi, what's with the long face?"

As an unknown voice called out to her, Sayaka lifted her head and stopped brooding to find out who that might be. Just... there was no one in front of her, so she looked around... and found a seedy looking redhead sitting on a wall right next to her. That girl was about her age, too.

She was eating an apple but flashed a grin at the apprentice Magical Girl that showed a pointy canine between bites. Her eyes were as red as her long hair and those shorts she wore were even shorter than reckless Sayaka would be comfortable to wear. What business did this delinquent have with her? And that she was for sure, her whole appearance screamed it at everyone that looked her way.

"And who might you be?"

Her cold tone was very well deserved, or so she thought. However, the other girl just sighed and jumped down from the wall with ease, coming to stand in front of her. "You're... Miki, was it?"

As this question indicated that this girl knew her name and who she was, Sayaka cautiously took a step back. Who was that?

The redhead raised an eyebrow about her reaction. "Wanna know how I know your name?"

She did not even wait for a response before continuing. "Your classmate told me. There're not that many people with blue hair running around, too."

 _Classmate? Which... one..._

Sayaka got an idea who was meant, who that might be and she did not like either of the two. Nonetheless, she responded while eying the other girl warily: "So would you be Sakura Kyoko, then?"

Now she got a more surprised reaction before the redhead measured her a bit more seriously for a moment. Then she shrugged. "Yup, the one and only."

So that was the one that held Kazamino. But what was this Magical Girl doing here? Her senior said that she kept to her own territory and they got by without having to talk to the other. Could it be...

"Wait... you're not here to take Mami-san's territory, right?"

She already took a more aggressive stance but Kyoko leaned against the wall and snorted. "Just how stupid d'you think I am? Geez, is it really that unbelievable that I'm just visi... well, okay. It is. And I'm not just here for a courtesy visit anyway."

With a smirk, the other girl went past her and turned around. "I've found out something interesting I wanted to tell Mami. Mind showing me where she is right now?"

It sounded like an excuse... but then again, she did not know this girl.

"Um... okay..."

At least she was not hostile even though Sayaka did not really like her. But then again, she wanted to wait for what her teacher and senior had to say especially since she had been told that this girl was strong, so the blunette did not want to pick a fight on the streets. Instead, she started to lead the way to where she wanted to meet the others. Kyoko followed her with her hands in the pockets of her jacket.

The silence became a bit strange after a while though, so she decided to break it with something she was curious about anyway. "Say... what did Yuri tell you about me?"

It was obvious that it could only be the younger Akemi-twin. None of her other classmates would casually stroll over to Kazamino and get in contact with someone as suspiciously looking as this girl.

It took a few seconds before she got an answer and it was nothing she liked to hear: "Nothing good, that's for sure."

When she turned around, she noticed that Kyoko still wore that smirk. "I never thought there're so many words to call someone stupid, y'know?"

Hearing that made her mood became even darker. This girl was talking about her behind her back... _Just wait for it, you..._

This would have consequences for Akemi Yuri, that was for sure; however, her current companion was not finished yet. "I actually wondered if what she said was true. Mind telling me if you really wished for someone's arm to heal?"

Just... what kind of question was that? How would someone tell if she was stupid based on what wish she made? Still, she could very well tell the truth; this was nothing she needed to hide. Quite the opposite, actually: Sayaka was proud of how good a wish she found so she nodded and looked at the redhead questiongly, although it was more of a challenge. "Any problem with that?"

Kyoko just sighed and shook her head while taking a bite out of a taiyaki, curshin the poor fish's head under her teeth. "Don't challenge me, rookie. If you pick a fight with me, I'll beat you to a pulp."

The statement only managed to infuriate the blunette even more, her anger now almost seething and no longer focussed on Yuri alone. But again, they were in public and she had to hold back no matter how hard that was.

So instead of provoking more comments like the last one, she kept quiet and failed at concealing her anger miserably. At least she managed to find the others where they were expected to be.

 **. . .**

When she saw Sayaka approaching, her heart skipped a beat at the familiar red figure behind her and Lilly almost cursed. Just what exactly did that mean?

There was no real chance to think it through, so the human-shaped Witch just held her blank expression as the other Magical Girls came closer, her 'sister' next to her doing the same even though she sent her a quizzical stare to which she slightly shook her head. No, this was not her idea.

Mami was talking to them and had her back turned to the two newcomers, so when she heard Kyoko's voice, she froze in place with an amusing expression... amusing to Lilly, that was.

"Yo, Mami. Has been a while, hasn't it?"

The blonde turned around slowly as Sayaka went over to Madoka's side and stopped there, still looking as if she would stab someone at any moment. Though the Witch had to compliment her mentally for not charging the redhead for the first few words she said. On the other hand though... the look she gave Lilly promised nothing good, either. It even had a chill run down her spine. Kyoko did not... no, of course not. The blunette would have come accusing her if that happened.

Madoka on her part was watching with a bit of a lost expression, so the Witch whispered to her what happened: "That girl is Sakura Kyoko, Magical Girl veteran and as powerful a fighter as Tomoe-san herself."

She was given a surprised look with a note of fear; that was to be expected, though. The only thing the pinkette heard of this redhead up until now was that she should stay away from her and how bad a person she was.

"Sakura-san... I... did not expect you. But at the same time... you do have some nerve to come here."

The last part had a bit of venom in it, although the other girl just grimaced and shrugged. "I wouldn't have normally, but I found out something juicy so I figured you'd want to know, too."

Neither of them could see it but Mami should be glaring at the other fifteen-year-old warily by now, even when the tension subsided slightly. It almost exploded when something came flying at her, but she catched it instead and looked at it. Lilly could hear the blonde gasp in surprise but before she could say anything, Kyoko spoke: "I'm not expecting you to bear with me for free. So those and what I have to say and in exchange you'll turn a blind eye until I leave... won't stay for longer than two days anyway."

Mami kept quiet, apparently thinking that through. Behind her, Lilly almost had a mental breakdown in trying to suppress her desire to flee. The only thing this girl could mean with 'juicy information' was the part about her being a Witch. If she spilled that...

Fortunately for the eldritch being, only Homura noticed her hands shaking, seeing that both Madoka and Sayaka were watching the encounter of two veterans.

"Yuri?"

As she was spoken to by her 'sister', she almost jumped. However, she did not and turned around, knowing that the others were looking at them now as well. A piece of paper was held out to her. "This might take a bit longer than I expected. Could you go and buy those for dinner?"

It took her a moment to process what was said but when she did, she flashed a thankful smile and took the paper. "Okay."

When she turned to leave, she nodded at the others. "See you."

And walked off, not bothering with her rudeness. All she could do was not to just dash away at high speed.

 **. . .**

When Yuri was out of sight, Miki looked after her with narrowed eyes. "What's with her today?"

If she was honest, Mami wondered about that as well. However, Kyoko had priority right now, especially since the blonde still needed to answer to the offer the redhead made. It sounded nice to have a chance to talk to her former partner but that was exactly why she was cautious; this girl in front of her knew how to push her buttons, so this might be... no, it was not a trap. Even when this person was no longer the kind-hearted Kyoko she knew back then, deceiving people like that did not suit her after all. She had always been open about what she wanted. But then again, those Grief Seeds...

"I take it you got these out of Familiars that grew into Witches?"

Thankfully, there were not many people around and none of those present were in earshot. So they could talk rather freely. Kyoko raised an eyebrow and smirked. "What, you wouldn't take 'em if I got them this way? Well, you're wrong. Wait..."

For a moment, her expression became more thoughtful as she looked down at the orbs in Mami's hands. "Actually, I don't know. I didn't kill the Witches myself."

So this meant...

Mami paled and her eyes narrowed, though the redhead seemed to be confused by that. Before she could say anything about what her thoughts on killing other Magical Girls were, Homura chimed in from the sidelines with her usual cold tone. Interestingly and somewhat surprisingly, it cooled her own temper as well. "I assume that what you want to tell us is that another Witch did the killing?"

Being reminded of the other veteran's presence, both of them turned her way and Kyoko tried to stare her down... only to fail at that. This lancer could be a terrifying being, but the stoic girl just stood there and returned her gaze blankly. After a while, the redhead nodded. "That's what I meant, yes. Haven't expected two of you, though."

This statement had the blonde look between the two until she understood: Yuri was in Kazamino, so she did encounter the redhead. But as it seemed, she did not tell her about having a twin.

Homura on her part just flicked her hair as usual. "From what my younger sister told me, you got along so I have no problem with your presence. In fact, I am curious about what you want to tell us."

Of course Mami was curious as well and after this interjection, she finally made up her mind. With a sigh, she pocketed one of the Grief Seeds and returned the other one. "I am not that greedy a girl, Sakura-san. As long as you do not go and harass the people in this city, I do not mind you staying."

Then she looked around, especially regarding that there was barely a chance to talk without someone overhearing them, seeing that the streets became fuller with every passing minute.

"Would you mind joining us for tea?"

Going by her smirk, the answer to that question was obvious.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

She still wondered what kind of person this Kyoko might be, but there was hardly a chance for her to find out. Whenever either of them even _looked_ in the other's direction, Sayaka would quickly step between them. Actually, it slightly annoyed her even when she knew that her friend only wanted to protect her.

 _But is there even anything about this girl that I needed protection against?_

Of course Madoka could not know for sure but from the look of it, one could talk to the redhead. So if she actually listened, why was there such a problem? Besides, why was her childhood friend stabbing the other Magical Girl with her gaze? Just what happened before they met up?

Maybe she should try... yes. Carefully, the pinkette sent a thought towards Kyubey. Even when she did not really like the idea of having him connected directly to her mind, she did not want to stir up trouble. And after a moment, she got the connection she wanted.

 _'What is it?'_

The calm, stern voice echoing in her head should have been intimidating... but especially after what happened a few days ago, Madoka found hearing Homura's voice to be more soothing and reassuring than anything else. Slowly, she formed a coherent thought to reply: _"Um... could you tell me a bit more about this girl? Sakura-san, was it?"_

A few seconds passed as the Magical Girl sent her a blank look while the other three kept quiet. So Kyubey might only transmit between the two of them just as she asked him to do.

 _'Very well. Is there anything specific you want to know?'_

That was a good question, but from what she had been told up until now... Madoka decided to go with that: _"Could you tell me about what kind of person she is in more detail?"_

This time the answer came in without delay. _'If I had to use a single word, I would call her pragmatic. Sakura Kyoko generally does things where she can gain something in return and goes through life her very own way. But in difference to Tomoe Mami and Miki Sayaka, one can talk to her even when she's not of the same opinion. She will listen to reason. I go by what Yuri told me: Sakura Kyoko is loud, a glutton and does what she wants and when she wants to do it. However, she is also the most forward person you might ever meet.'_

This was... strange. It did not sound like a good combination of character traits at all but the mysterious girl's mental voice had a tone akin to fondness in it as she spoke about the redhead. Did they meet before? But then again, Madoka's hopes were up; if this person could really be talked to, she would get along with the other girls for sure, although Homura seemed to doubt it. Of course, Madoka knew that her tomboyish friend could be pretty unreasonable once she formed her first impression of someone, but she was sure that it was alright.

 _"Thank you for telling me, Homura-chan."_

 _'It was nothing.'_

With that the private conversation ended and the pinkette flashed a smile at the raven-haired girl walking by her side. It was not returned, but she could see how some warmth filled those cold, purple eyes, if just for a few seconds.

However, she herself noticed someone else looking at her: red eyes were directed her way, not really hostile, more... curious. And there was no Sayaka blocking her from view this time. As Madoka became aware of that, she returned a quizzical look. "Is... something wrong?"

Now the others became attentive as well, especially her friend tried to step in front of her once more... which was not this easy, seeing that everyone was still walking. The redhead just shrugged and showed another smirk. "Just wondering why you're around all those Magical Girls, that's all."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she measured Madoka again. "Though I don't even need to wonder. Just realised where this strong aura comes from."

A strong... aura? What exactly was she talking about?

Apparently, the pinkette was not the only one that was confused. Sayaka looked just as surprised. "What do you mean with that? What aura?"

This time however, Homura was the one to reply: "Madoka-san emanates a magical aura even us Magical Girls can sense. It may be because of your inexperience that you can't."

Kyoko's smirk just widened but she made no remark. Instead she focussed on Homura. "And you are Yuri's twin? Figures, you even have the same stare."

She was not given a response, just said blank look. Actually, Madoka was amazed by how easily her newest friend seemed to handle the redhead. And with the interaction started, she noticed that...

"Oh, I'm sorry. I completely forgot."

She stopped and so did the others while Kyoko eyed her curiously. That curiousity turned into surprise when the pinkette held a hand out to her. "It's my pleasure to meet you. My name is Kaname Madoka."

With a bright smile as to take the uneasiness away from herself mostly. The other girl blinked at her a few seconds while the others sans Homura were mostly dumbfounded. Then she smirked again.

"The name's Sakura Kyoko. Nice to meet you, then."

However, when she moved to take her hand, she actually placed a bar of chocolate in it that Madoka looked at curiously. As did Sayaka, who seemed to be surprised by the gesture.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

It did not take much longer until they reached Mami's flat. As the blonde prepared tea and cake for everyone, the other girls had already taken a seat around the table... with Sayaka sending glares at Kyoko who in turn was measuring Homura with an interested expression. Madoka wondered what the redhead might want to ask.

After a moment, a thought crossed her mind and had her cheeks became more like her hair. _Wait, maybe Kyoko-chan is interested in..._

She started to chide herself before the thought was even finished. _Silly me, something like that does not happen so fast... or... does it?_

Then another question presented itself. Why would she even want to know whether another girl was attracted to her friend?

With an inaudible sigh, Madoka's expression fell slightly. She was not sure on what to think about that right now. Maybe she should talk to her mother sometime soon. Kaname Junko always knew what to do, after all.

Thankfully, no one paid her any attention. Or if anyone did, they did at least not react to the changes in her facial expression.

Then a platter with cake was placed in front of everyone, closely followed by a cup of tea. Mami took a seat next to them not much later, right between Homura and Kyoko. "Now that everything is served, I would like to hear what you came to tell me."

The blonde was friendly but even Madoka could hear the edge in her voice. Just why did she not like the redhead? Maybe they met in the past?

Kyoko on her part had already wolfed down her first slice of cake, much to her and Sayaka's surprise. As she licked her hands clean from cream, she sighed. "So as I said, this strange Witch was in Kazamino. Don't know if she's still there and no, I haven't tried to fight her. Haven't even seen her... at least not how she looks like."

Confusion rose up with the last part, but Kyoko already continued without giving them a chance to ask questions: "That one's good at hiding, you see? Buuut... well, she talked to me."

"What?!"

That was Sayaka, who leaned forward to eye the redhead a bit more closely. Mami wore a confused look and sent the same to Kyubey while Homura's expression remained blank. Madoka just figured that it was unusual for a Witch to speak. However, the blonde drove the conversation further while ignoring her junior for the moment: "And what did you do, Sakura-san?"

Before she came to answer that, Sayaka chimed in again, showing signs of distrust. "And why didn't you fight that Witch?"

At the accusing question, the redhead leaned over the table until her nose almost touched that of the blunette, who flinched backwards out of surprise. "Now listen here, Rookie: if you want to go fight something that killed a dozen Witches in less time than any of us would need to even find this many, go ahead. I won't if I don't have to. And one more thing: You're really getting on my nerves, so shut the hell up until you've got something helpful to say."

The display of aggression had Madoka silent. She did not know what to do. If she chimed in, would Kyoko talk to her like that as well?

However, Mami apparently had no such worries. She sent the redhead a chiding stare. "Sakura-san, would you..."

"Yeah, alright, alright. Sorry."

With those words, the other girl sat down again and shook her head. "Good god, keep that Kouhai of yours under control or I'm really going to beat her up."

Sayaka wanted to spit back, but Madoka quickly got a hold of her arm and covered her mouth with her free hand. "No! Be nice, Sayaka-chan."

The other girl squirmed against her, but she could have a firm grip if she wanted. So after some struggling against her, the blunette gave in and grumbled into her hand. The pinkette could only hear Kyoko chuckle. "Really, now? You... what?"

As Madoka turned her head, she saw Homura staring the other veteran down with an icy stare. "You should behave as well. I am rather sure that Tomoe-san has a few interesting ideas on how to use her ribbons if you don't."

For a moment, the redhead looked dumbfounded. Then she leaned a bit forward with another smirk. "Oh, so Mami's into Bonmhpf..."

Whatever she wanted to say, she could not finish it as a yellow ribbon wound itself around her head and covered her mouth.

"I agree with Akemi-san. Please be nice."

As Madoka slowly let go of her friend, she saw a slight tinge of red on her senior's cheeks. Just what did Kyoko want to say, she wondered. Maybe she could ask her later.

After a bit of squirming, the redhead was freed as well and wolfed down another slice of cake with a sigh. "Now I remember why I've stayed in Kazamino... no one here can take a joke."

Sayaka opted to say something, but she gave her a warning look that had her stop. Actually, Madoka was a bit angry with her friend right now and from the look of it, the blunette did not want to risk her getting really angry. So she kept quiet.

Madoka never realised she had that much of an influence. But going back to the times where she became mad at the other girl... the pinkette did not like to think about it.

"Ahem. However, Sakura-san. You were saying?"

Kyoko swallowed the cake she had been chewing on before continuing. "I had a little chat with that Witch. Asked some questions, got some answers..."

Kyubey's head perked up over that statement, but he kept quiet. Madoka wondered why, at the same time being glad about him sitting over at Mami's place. She was still a bit uncomfortable with how he looked at her with those piercing, red eyes.

When no one replied, the redhead nodded and her expression became a bit more serious. "For one, that Witch seems reasonable. I never got her name, but she knows a lot of stuff. Also... well, you never wondered about stuff like that, so you're in for a surprise."

With a smirk, she held up her red Soul Gem and showed it to them. But still, no one answered. They were alle waiting for what she had to say. However, Madoka noticed that Homura's eyes were narrowed now.

"Guess what, Kyubey rips out our souls and makes them into these when we contract."

Silence. However, it was no longer expectant but completely shocked. Both Sayaka's and Mami's expressions had completely fallen into surprise and several other emotions, their mouths agape while Madoka inhaled with a start. This... did this mean...

"No way...", her friend whispered as she looked down on her own trinket. "So we're..."

"You got it, rookie. We're zombies. Nice, huh?"

To have it spelled out had Madoka cringe. Just why did this happen? Was it even true?

As her gaze wandered to Kyubey who was busy with cleaning his fur, she wondered if this was really the truth. She was apparently not the only one, seeing that Mami slowly turned towards the cat-like being as well and looked at it. "Is this true, Kyubey?"

Upon being spoken to, he looked up and seemed to be completely oblivious of the tensed atmosphere. _'There is nothing that needs to be corrected.'_

So it was...

Slowly, the pinkette looked back at her friend who was still eyeing the Soul Gem on her palm. Then however, Sayaka smashed her hands on the table that the cups were shaking and stared at Kyubey. "Just what do you mean with that? What did you do that for?! Why!?"

He just tilted his head. _'Isn't that obvious? Those human bodies of yours are way too fragile to fight Witches. So as a means to increase survivability, I take out your soul and give it a form. Like this, it is compact and very durable. As long as it remains intact, you will not die; not even if you're cut into pieces or bleed your last drop of blood. As long as you have magic, you can regenerate.'_

Sayaka flinched backwards at the nonchalant answer and Mami's expression had already become unreadable. However...

"Doesn't that bother you at all, Homura-chan?"

As she spoke to the raven-haired girl, the other two looked her way as well. Only for her to sigh and put down her cup. "I couldn't care less."

That gained the others' attention, but it did not really surprise Madoka. This stoic girl was strong... or maybe she just meant what she said...

"What do you mean with that, Akemi-san? Why would you not care about what happened to your soul?"

And Mami was shaking even when she seemed to try to suppress it. Homura returned her gaze nonchalantly. "Because I exchanged everything for a single wish of mine. 'Everything' also includes my humanity. The moment I came to hate or despise what I have become, I would betray my devotion to my task."

Her voice was different this time... Madoka needed a moment to understand and when she did, she flinched: While the expression remained unreadable, her voice was filled with determination.

 _Just what kind of wish did Homura-chan make..._

She wondered about that before, but the other girl would never answer her if she asked. The other Magical Girls did not know, either.

Silence engulfed them once the raven-haired girl was done speaking. Not even Kyubey said anything. Looking around, Madoka saw that Kyoko was still impressed by how determined Homura was while Sayaka and Mami looked a bit sick... and the pinkette had no idea what to say to cheer them up. She felt so useless...

"Anyway, I've got to get going", Kyoko noted while getting up. "Sorry to bring that kind of news in the evening. See ya."

As she stood and walked around the table, Homura sighed. "Where will you stay for the time being?"

"Hm?"

As the redhead turned her head and stopped moving, she seemed to think about it. "What do you care?"

In truth, Madoka had wondered about that as well. She thought about asking why Kyoko could not stay with Mami, but the answer to that question was obvious. She would have offered the older girl to stay at her place, but her parents would have asked a lot of questions if she did... and she could not answer those.

However, the way her stoic friend adressed the topic... maybe she wanted to...

"For the time being, you can stay at my place. I don't mind, seeing that you seem to get along with Yuri. Besides", the raven-haired girl added with a sideway glance at Mami and Sayaka, "someone has to make sure that you won't go and harass Miki-san."

They looked at each other for a few seconds, but Homura's blank, unnerving stare won once again. Kyoko shrugged and leaned against the wall. "I don't mind. Hadn't planned on harassing anyone, though."

As Homura got up as well, she cast another glance at the still brooding Mami, then nudged Sayaka with her foot to get her out of her own thoughts. Madoka got up around that point, seeing that it really got dark outside. She needed to get home as well.

When they were a bit away from the blonde, the other veteran spoke to the blunette: "Stay here for today."

At the... not suggestion but order, Sayaka looked at her in surprise, then back at Mami. After a few moments, she nodded slightly without saying anything and took a step back as a means of not hindering them while they put on their shoes.

When they went for the door, Madoka smiled at her childhood friend warmly. "Good night, Sayaka-chan."

"Y-Yeah, good night..."

The reply lacked a lot of her usual enthusiasm... but when she wanted to comment on that, Madoka noticed Homura shaking her head, indicating her not to do it. So she did not. This girl knew more about Magical Girls than her, so maybe those two just needed some time to take in what they learned?

Whatever it was, they left through the door without a word. The silence was the only thing that remained.


	16. That Was Really Kind of You

They were about to leave the building when Homura spoke up for the first time since they left Mami's flat: "We have to make a short detour, though."

As she noted that, both of her companions looked at her and Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "So? What for?"

The time traveler just flicked her hair in response and went on. "I will walk Madoka-san home."

She was given a smile from the pinkette as she said that so maybe the smaller girl actually hoped that this would happen? The Magical Girl was not sure whether that was good or bad, though. On the one hand, Madoka being close to her was always nice and it made the observation easier as well. However, this also meant that the pinkette would be close to magic for quite some time. In this strange timeline though...

The other veteran measured her again, then shrugged. "Whatever, I'm not complaining. D'you want some time alone to flirt?"

Both girls paused at the remark. Homura just turned her head to stare at the redhead while Madoka flushed a deep scarlet and began stuttering: "W-What are you talking about, Kyoko-chan?!"

The pinkette got a fanged smirk in return. "Oh come on, you're so into each other. Look, even miss cool is blushing."

Unfortunately, she was right; Homura's cheeks were heating up despite her efforts in preventing that and now that this gentle girl she loved so much looked her way in wonder, the blush only intensified. Therefore, she did the only thing she could do in this situation: she turned away with her hair flying around her figure and steadied her voice... at least that worked. "We should get going."

She could only guess what Kyoko was doing behind her back, at least nothing that included words. Homura sighed inwardly.

It was already difficult enough to deal with Lilly's teasing and that came from her very self who shared her deep affection for Madoka. There might really be the point where she cracked open if it continued like that.

"Anyway, nice move to tell this Sayaka-girl to stay with Mami. She'll be grateful for the company."

The time travler just nodded at the compliment. This was almost the exact reason she did it since going by past experiences, Tomoe Mami took a severe blow to her understanding of this world from learning about what a Soul Gem was for. The same went for Miki Sayaka. So to have both of them try to cheer up each other was a good idea, at least in her opinion.

"Neither of them should stay alone at a time like this."

The others might think that she was looking out for those two out of sympathy but in fact, Homura was just making sure both of them could survive. Manipulating them as much as she could without her efforts being noticed.

"Yes, I agree... Thank you, Homura-chan. That was really kind of you."

As she casted a glance backwards, she saw Madoka smiling at her gratefully. However, the smile vanished soon after and was replaced by a more sorrowful expression. "Though... you two seem to be alright with what happened to you..."

"Nah", Kyoko interrupted the quizzical silence as she started to eat another stick of Pocky. "You know, I freaked out the day that Witch told me, but then I realised something: what the hell should I care? Actually, that whole 'not dying'-thing's quite useful. Helps me to survive."

Homura almost sighed hearing that explanation... again. This might be the twentieth time. However, there was no helping it even if it hurt to hear something like this over and over. The only things she could barely bear were what Madoka said on most occassions.

"I already told you my opinion. I came to terms with what I am long ago."

"That reminds me...", the redhead noted while walking closer to her. Homura could almost feel her curiousity... or her breath. "Mind telling me what wish you made?"

At first, the time traveler wanted to decline flat-out but then again, she needed this girl as an ally... so she decided for a slightly less offensive course of action; while turning her head, she stopped for a moment which resulted in Kyoko almost running into her. After eyeing the other girl for a few seconds, she nodded. "I may tell you... after Walpurgis."

That gained both girls' attention, seeing that Madoka never heard the name before and Kyoko displayed a lot of surprise. "So that's what you're gearing up for?"

Homura just flicked her hair once more and got moving again. "Yes."

"Holy... figures that you're holding out with Mami then. Walpurgis..."

"Um..."

Of course she would ask. The raven-haired girl did not even wait until the pinkette actually voiced the question, although she did not feel well in explaining. If she did not however, someone else might do so... which was worse. "The Queen of Witches will arrive in Mitakihara at the end of this month. Her power is enormous but with two... or three veterans, there should be no problem to take her down."

She added the second number with a sideway glance at Kyoko, who paid it no mind. But even then, Homura's confidence was mostly an act. She was well aware of the fact that this battle would be hard even if she could preserve the other Magical Girls until then. If she told Madoka about her worries however, the kind girl would insist on helping them.

This must not happen.

"I... see. So you will be fine?"

She did not manage more than nodding slightly. Even if Homura herself was alright afterwards, there was not much to do. Watching over her friend until she turned nineteen, then end her own existence. Once Madoka was free of this curse called being a Magical Girl, her mission was complete.

 _But in this case... what will happen to Lilly?_

Maybe the Witch would simply stop existing. But... would this be what she wanted as well? Most likely, seeing that they were the same.

However, there was definitely trouble coming their way. Kyoko took the worst timing possible to tell everyone about what she knew. As it looked, Sayaka had another two days at most before her soul gave in to the grief that would befall her now.

 **. . .**

"Thank you for letting me stay."

The younger girl's voice sounded tired as she sat down again and put away her cellphone. Her junior just called her parents to tell them she would stay at Mami's place and now they just sat there in silence. But this was not good.

 _What are you doing, you idiot? Stop sulking and cheer her up!_  
Mami found it hard to listen to herself seeing just how shocked she still was. The blonde learned about a lot of things Kyubey never told her before in the last two weeks. Just what other secrets was he keeping from her?

It was of no use. The veteran shook her head a few times to clear her thoughts before putting on a gentle smile. She was thankful that Miki stayed with her so that she was not all by herself. "It is my pleasure to have you, Miki-san."

Which it was indeed. She rarely had any guests at all and Homura never stayed over night. She worried over her little sister, after all.

 _Akemi-san is a nice girl despite my first impression..._

When they first met, Mami really thought that they would become enemies. But instead, they became partners. She already grew fond of this quiet girl after having seen the kindness under this cold shell a few times.

Her thoughts wandered for a while but she returned to the situation at hand eventually. With an actually cheerful smile -not a forced one like before-, the blonde got to her feet and wandered over towards the kitchen. "How about I make something for dinner? Do you have any preferences?"

It seemed to work; Sayaka's expression became less heavy and she actually looked up with a small smile. "I don't really care. Besides, I'm sure everything you cook is delicious, Mami-san."

The praise had her smile widen. "I am giving it my best, then."

She rarely had the chance to cook for others, so she would give it her all.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Once they separated from this Madoka-girl at her home, the two Magical Girls took another path that should lead to the Akemis' place. While they did, Kyoko wondered whether she should start to talk to Homura. She was not as talkative as Yuri but the Witch did not speak all that much, either. Well, the redhead barely cared.

"Mind telling me something?"

The other girl shook her head but made a remark before any questions could be asked: "Not out here. We can talk once we reach my place."

"Again with the secrecy, huh?"

But then again, she could understand that... Homura lived with a Witch and in Mami's town on top of that. Of course she was cautious. It was annoying but at least she would get her answers.

On the other hand though, Kyoko really wondered why this Magical Girl looked just like Yuri. Had the Witch taken her shape? Why did she even wonder, she could ask them soon. Right now, the redhead was a bit more curious about this pinkette. She seemed to live an ordinary life in an ordinary house, so why was she having so much potential?

From what she saw in her... 'career', the girls that would become the strongest Magical Girls were those that either had or would have trouble in their life just as Kyoko herself had.

"So, what's with that girl? Any idea why she's so strong?"

She thought that a safe question. Even if Kyubey was stalking them, it was only natural to ask for something as unnatural as that and it appeared as if Homura thought so as well because she answered. "I'm not sure myself. Generally, the amount of misfortune one has to carry indicates the potential, but with her... not even Kyubey knows, I think. Madoka is just your average, fourteen-year-old girl. With a loving family and friends, no actual problems."

As they went, Kyoko put her arms behind her head. This sounded fishy to her. "You sure? What if that 'loving family'-stuff's just an act and they treat her like shit?"

She was not sure because of the darkness, but she thought she saw Homura flinch. The other girl did not look at her but her voice had become a bit colder than before. "If they did, I would have taken care of that."

Well, she obviously hit a nerve with that, although the redhead was not sure why; that was just an idea, after all. However, it told Kyoko something else that had her smirk widen.

"So I was right. You're totally into her."

She was not even given a look once again and there was no response, either. Unfortunately for Homura though, that did not bother the redhead much as she just continued to comment on that. "But why're you holding back, huh? If you want her, then take her. It's that ea..."

She did not came to finish as slender fingers took a firm grip of her collar and she came face to face with the other veteran. The look in Homura's eyes had changed from blank to burning and now the redhead saw herself in serious trouble. "You're pushing it too far, Sakura Kyoko. If you talk of Madoka like an object any longer, I will kill you here and now."

The sudden change in behaviour surprised even her. Okay, she went too far but how should she know that the reaction would be this sudden?

So instead of gaping at the raven-haired girl like an idiot, Kyoko raised her hands apologeptically. "You're right, sorry. Shouldn't have said that."

Of course, had this been her own territory, she might have said something more provoking... but Mami was around as well. So if she got on bad terms with Homura, she blew her chances of getting along with her former partner.

After a few more seconds of silent glaring, the hand was taken from her and the other girl's indifference returned. She did not say any more as she turned around and continued to walk while Kyoko sighed and followed, hoping that the invitation was not withdrawn because of that.

"You're fortunate, though."

"Huh? What?"

The sudden remark confused her for a moment, but the other girl quickly elaborated. "I can forgive your behaviour even if it gets insulting. Had you said something like this with any of the other Magical Girls or Yuri around, you would be in serious trouble."

She figured something like that already. That Sayaka seemed to be friends with the pinkette and Mami at least liked her. But then again, Kyoko did not dislike her, either. Especially when there were only that many people that treated her like a normal person despite how she looked like. Actually, that was rather rare, now that she thought about it.

The redhead wanted to say something but the ringing noise of a cellphone stopped her from doing that. As Homura pulled the device out of her pocket and answered the call, she wondered just who would call her this late. Well, maybe her not-girlfriend wanted to talk to her?

"What is it, Yuri?"

Or not. That was the Witch calling.

A few seconds passed as the raven-haired girl listened to whatever was told. "I see. We will go there, then. Besides, put out the dishes for one more."

Some more silence followed by a short "Yes" and Homura hung up. As she pocketed her cellphone, she cast a glance on Kyoko. "A Witch not too far from our route."

Now that was good news at least. Looked like Yuri could not go herself with Kyubey closeby.

"Fine with me. You think you can keep up?"

The other veteran only flicked her hair and replied with a short "Yes". Maybe she should be glad that it was nothing more?

Yes, she had been threatened not too long ago but a bit of teasing should be fine, especially when it was not Madoka-related.

 _Guess I really underestimated her feelings... not going to make fun of that again..._

She preferred not to die after all and while Sakura Kyoko was confident in her own abilities, she knew that there was no chance to win against a total unknown that could get backup from Mami and this powerful Witch. Additionally, there was no reason to get into a fight over something as unimportant as this. Homura seemed to accept her as she was, just like her "sister" did.

 _Now that I think about it... quite a lot of people that don't just judge me..._

She shrugged it off and continued to walk after Homura. It was a pleasant surprise for a change but nothing she would count on. Kyoko only counted on herself, after all.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Once they closed in on a more dilapidated district -which Homura told her was a construction site as of now-, their Soul Gems took the trace as well. The Witch was not far away anymore.

However, there was a surprise when they went further into the area; a raven-haired girl in a black dress was waiting for them, her purple eyes illuminated by a streetlight as she turned their way upon hearing the two sets of footsteps. Kyoko mostly eyed the dress as she never saw it before. It suited the Witch, but why did she wear it right now? And why was she here to begin with?

"Good evening, Homura, Kyoko. I heard that there was a hunt, so I came out to watch."

The redhead just nodded while Homura already transformed. Once the purple light stopped engulfing her, the Kyoko took a look at her clothes and raised an eyebrow. "Why's your outfit looking like a school uniform?"

Now both girls regarded her with a momentarily confused look before Homura looked down at what she wore. With the purple skirt and the white top with those also purple shoulder pads, it did look like a uniform, only those diamond-shaped things on her tights put it off a bit.

Her question was not answered, but this time both the Magical Girl and the Witch seemed to be rather clueless themselves. Now that Kyoko could actually compare them as they walked next to each other, they really seemed completely the same. The only difference was that Yuri had a smirk on her lips and wore her hair in a ponytail just like the redhead did. But she still wondered... "Oi, Yuri! What're you even doing out here?"

As she asked, the other 'girl' turned her head and tilted it quizzically. "Didn't I say that already? I want to watch you kill the Shadow Witch, Elsa Maria."

That sounded just as stupid as before. "That makes no sense. Why should you just watch?"

The remark only made the Witch smirk and there was -once again- no reply, at least not from her. Homura told her, though: "Because the only way she can help us is by setting the whole barrier ablaze, which in turn would kill us as well."

Fire it was, then? The thought made her shiver considering her own experiences with that particular element. That would at least explain why Kyoko never saw the Witch fight before, though. But why would she need to burn the whole barrier? Wasn't there a method that would not take up so much energy?

 _Well, who am I to criticise?_

With that thought, she shrugged and continued to walk after the other two. Strangely enough, there was no talking for a while. She guessed that they would at least exchange information or something like that, but no. They just walked. That was okay, but Kyoko still wondered a bit.

 **. . .**

Little did the redhead know that the two 'siblings' were actually talking for a while now. Homura summarised what happened at Mami's place and Lilly had a hard time suppressing a facepalm.

 _"Just how stupid is this girl? I thought she was smarter..."_

At her exasperated question, the Magical Girl replied as coolly as usual: _'This is not related to her being stupid. She just didn't know what this would lead to.'_

At this point, it started to unnerve her that Homura would not be at least a bit angry even when she knew that her 'sister' had to stay calm or her Soul Gem would get tainted. However, no such limitations weighed down the Witch so she happily took the chance to boil with rage. Their carefully crafted plan was once again ruined because of one minor detail. Miki Sayaka would die.

 _'Though I wonder why you told her in the first place.'_

She did not tell Homura before but the question had her sigh rather heavily nonetheless. _"I wanted to find out what happened if I told her bit by bit. How should I know that she comes to spill it to everyone the moment I'm not looking?"_

Now it was Homura's turn to sigh. _'It can't be helped, then. We have to make do with...'_

"What're you two sighing about?", the girl in question demanded to know as both Akemi's turned their heads towards her. She paused for a moment as she saw Lilly's eyes burning with anger but then just raised an eyebrow. "What's that for? Did I do something?"

Of course she did! She ruined everything!

However, the Witch would not put it like that. Instead, she looked around carefully and kept her eyes open for every patch of white fur, but found none. That was reassuring but not a proof, so she could not be sure that Kyubey was not around and as long as Tomoe Mami was alive, she would not take that risk.

"Oi, stop ignoring me!"

The Witch paid Kyoko no mind as she calmed her tingling senses. Homura already held out her hand and opened the barrier they had been walking towards. The girls walked quite a bit as they were conversing, she noticed.

As her 'sister' was busy, Lilly turned her head again and motioned for the entrance. "I will tell you once we're inside."

With that said, she stepped into the eldritch realm and found herself in a world coloured only in black and white. There were no Familiars around, but she could sense some of them being not too far away.

As a means to preserve energy, the human-shaped Witch closed the bond so that Homura would not pull her into time stops before turning around to point a finger at Kyoko who just wandered into the barrier herself. "And now to you."

She just got a raised eyebrow in return again. "What's with me?"

Forcefully breathing deeply, Lilly tried to calm down. Being too angry would not help her cause. It relaxed her at least slighty even when she was far from actually being calm and her voice was full of venom: "I don't like Miki one bit, but I still needed her for the plan. Now you killed her."

Of course, wording her accusation like this was still a bit immature but she was not in the mood to actually explain anything. Thus, the redhead became confused. "What're you talking about? I haven't killed anyone!"

But before the Witch could continue with accusing the other girl, Homura put a hand on her shoulder to make her stop. "What she means is that Miki Sayaka is currently in a... bad position. Just a few hours ago, she learned that a close friend likes the same boy and now she was told that her soul is no longer in her body. She will become suicidal on Monday at last if not sooner."

Now it was Kyoko who sighed as red light engulfed her and she transformed into her own attire and brandished her spear for a moment before shouldering it. "I see. Sorry for that, then. Didn't know this would happen."

"It's fine", Lilly replied while pinching the bridge of her nose. "She was a lost cause since the moment she contracted. That girl is not made for this life but the main problem is that Madoka will most likely make a wish to save her once Kyubey talks to her about that... So I have to kill her off before that happens."

As the two 'siblings' exchanged a glance, Kyoko looked from one to the other. "And that will help? What about that revenge-contracting-thing?"

Being reminded of that possibility, the Witch shook her head. "That won't happen. I already have an idea..."

It was not even a bad one. Though... if she was caught, then her cover was blown... but on the other hand, it was a risk she assumed she had to take lest Madoka would do something reckless.

"Whatever, I don't really care anyway. And what's with that Witch?"

She motioned for their surroundings. They stood at the foot of a large statue and a small entrance led inside. There was an empty field around it but that housed nothing besides a few minions that were not relevant, seeing that they did not notice them.

"Elsa Maria is at the top of this statue. I can sense her up there."

Lilly pointed upwards at a bright light that shone into the distant sky, the only colour that differed from their monochrome surroundings.

She could have actually used this as a beacon to fly up there, but her Telekinesis still used up a lot of energy, so she would not do that. Especially when Mortal World's Witch had no intention to participate in the fighting. Instead, she had Kyoko go first to hold back the minions so that Homura could shoot them. Her 'sister' did not even need to stop time as those snakes simply charged head-on and most were struck down by the redhead's spear anyway.

Once the first wave was defeated, the two veterans nodded at each other with their previous problems almost forgotten. There was a Witch to kill and they concentrated on that. However, Lilly did not.

"By the way, Kyoko: why were you telling Mami about the Soul Gems again?"

As they examined the room, they found a set of stairs leading upwards. While they walked, the older girl answered her. "You know, that's actually none of your business. But since you told me in the first place... well..."

She kept quiet for a moment, apparently thinking about how to phrase what she was to say. "I haven't been on good terms with Mami for almost a year now... so I wanted to use that as... you know, a peace offering."

The unexpected explanation had both Akemi's look at Kyoko. However, as Homura wanted to speak, they both felt a hand on their shoulders when the Witch used them as support for a larger jump. She rose upwards, catched a falling shadow-snake and landed about three meters in front of them with the thrashing minion firmly in her grasp. As she turned around, she presented her catch. "Look what crept at the ceiling."

The Magical Girls eyed the creature, then the Witch that held it. Kyoko sighed and shrugged. "Guess we've to be more careful. Couldn't you've told u... the hell?"

The sudden change in tone was because of a simple fact: Lilly had bitten off the minion's head, inhaling the black smoke that remained when it dissipated. Those creatures would just disappear normally but since the human-shaped Witch worked with her own magic on holding them, their essence remained long enough so she could eat it. This was way faster than eating one after the other as well, a technique she thought of in Kazamino.

"What? I'm hungry!"

Kyoko's stupefied look had her smile inwardly. As it seemed, this girl did not expect her to be as pragmatic about her food as she was. However, Homura chimed in: "You can discuss that later. Besides, choosing this particular information as a peace offering was not the best idea after all."

They only got grumbling in return as the other girl pushed her way past them and walked ahead again. "Yeah, I understand. Stupid Kyoko, not telling other people stupid secrets... just shut the hell up."

The next unlucky minion that crossed their way at the end of the staircase was butted into the wall with the flat side of the spear and the redhead kicked it until it dissipated.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

They went through several rooms connected by staircases but there were none that led higher at one point. The snakes became less and less with every level they cleared, which was rather different from how minions were organised normally.

However, they tried to ambush them rather regularly so Lilly's senses helped them out quite a few times. Even when she decided not to help, she had her pride on the line if it came to noticing and diffusing traps since she was a prodigy with that herself after all. At least she thought so. Up until now, there was no need to utilise that knowledge.

"So... when there's no way upwards... shouldn't the Witch be around here?"

She cast a glance at the red Magical Girl before shaking her head. Elsa Maria was always at the top of this statue. However, the barrier was entered through the top in most timelines so that the attackers landed on the head of the statue anyway, which resulted in Lilly not actually knowing what to do. At least Homura seemed to feel the same way; she was checking the walls and sighed. "This is a trap, too. We need to climb up on the outside."

"That at least explains why there are so few minions... but why don't we turn this disadvantage into an advantage?"

Now both girls turned to Lilly, who smirked deviously. "How sad that this statue won't fall down even if we blow up the base. Buut... we can blast a hole in the wall and start climbing from up here."

Her 'sister' just nodded and continued to check the walls, this time not for secret passageways but weak spots instead. Kyoko smirked at her. "Good idea, actually. But what with the minions on the other side?"

To that, the Witch smirked and shook her head. "I just go and look for the spot where the smalles amount is nearby. Whatever comes through will be shredded by you."

"Sounds good to me."

With that, the redhead sat down and started to eat a few candy bars. She could not do much as long as the Akemi's were working, anyway. Even Lilly understood that. However, Mortal World's Witch had a better idea after a few minutes and smirked as she felt her heart beat under her command, releasing magic several times and thus, strongly strengthening her aura. The other two looked her way when their Soul Gems started to shine a lot brighter than before.

"What're you doing?", Kyoko wanted to know as she eyed the Witch with merely curiousity. The redhead apparently lost her suspicion, but that could also be because Lilly never told her exactly how her magic worked. Had she known that a single spark of fire could potentially be her end, she would have eyed her a lot more warily. Homura on her part was just waiting for an explanation. She already knew that Lilly liked to boast with good ideas, but that was obvious anyway. The human-shaped Witch never stopped smirking, though.

"Witches react to Magical Girls because they are intruders, the same goes for another Witch that enters their barrier. However, there is as much rivalry between Witches as is between Magical Girls, so the minions will all gather on this side of the statue to get to me. You can safely blow a hole in the wall opposite to me"

Now both girls regarded her with raised eyebrows, though Kyoko smirked as well. "So you're using those rivalries to your advantage?"

With a slight nod, Lilly patted the wall behind her. "I do. And before you ask how I want to get moving again... either I wait here until you kill Elsa Maria, or I weaken my aura and follow you, whichever you prefer."

Now that even the other Witch could feel her presence, she noticed something strange; there was almost no reaction except...

"Wait a second..."

As she closed her eyes, she knew that she was looked at again. Then a kind voice reached her from further upwards. It did not actualy speak, but its intentions became apparent once it echoed through Lilly's body and touched her Grief Seed: Elsa Maria invited her to pray with her.

"Huh..."

With a sigh, she sunk to the ground to think, one hand on her forehead. She never talked to a Witch before and none of them ever tried to talk to her. She just killed them just as they tried to kill her. But this one seemed to be different.

"Oi, you okay?"

With another sigh, the Witch opened her eyes and looked up only to see both Kyoko and Homura coming her way. However, they stopped dead in their tracks when she told them. "Yes... but I was just invited to a fair."


	17. This Is What We Are

Their meal had been quiet. While Mami really wanted to cheer up her junior, she just had too much trouble keeping herself together in the first place. She wanted to cry, but there was no way she would do that in front of Miki. If she did, the younger girl might loose even the last of her confidence.

Now the blunette was sitting next to her on the guest-Futon, clad in one of Mami's nightgowns. Her eyes were dull and she seemed to be thinking; the sight had the blonde sigh inwardly. She really failed this evening.

Homura might think that she did not notice, but Mami realised that she told Miki to stay here because she hoped that the other veteran could cheer her up. To some point, it was nice to have someone trust her so much but this time, the other girl's trust was apparently misplaced.

 _I'm sorry, Akemi-san..._

"Why didn't I listen to Yuri?"

She looked up as Miki spoke so suddenly with her eyes cast onto her Soul Gem. "She told me since the very beginning..."

The younger one was right about that. She had been told time and time again -by someone that seemed to have a better grasp on this topic than Mami, apparently. She could not just let Miki sulk like this however, so she slowly slid down from her bed and onto the Futon befor putting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "There is no need to feel so bad about it, Miki-san. It was a shock for me as well, but..."

She stopped when the blunette whirled around and buried her face in her chest while sniffling loudly. The action surprised the blonde, but she did not shy away. She was the senior, so she had to be responsible even when she felt rather bad herself. This sudden action showed mostly one thing: Miki was in an even worse condition than she initially thought. Therefore, Mami gently put her arms around the shaking girl and stroked her back. She could feel the wetness of tears come through the light pajamas she wore. The girl was crying.

"I... I shouldn't have become a Magical Girl... with my body like that, I'm just a zombie..."

She sniffled again, only to cry out even more before stuttering another sentence: "With me like that... how... h-how should I even face... Kyosuke? How should I tell him how I feel? Now Hitomi will..."

She could not bring herself to say it, but Mami understood. Her expression became more serious and she hugged the crying girl a bit tighter, never ceasing to stroke Miki's back and now included her head as well.

 _So it is not only this but also a broken heart..._

That explained why it hit the blunette so hard, especially since this might even be the boy that received her junior's wish of healing... and there it was again; whenever one wished for others, their wish would backfire spectacularly... just like it was with Kyoko before.

Sayaka could not see it, but Mami's expression darkened. She had sent Kyubey away for tonight, seeing that she herself could not really stand his presence right now. This being lied to her on several occassions she found out about, so there might be more lies. But how could she find out the truth?

 _I could ask Akemi-san... but she would never tell me..._

With a start, the blonde came to realise something else: Akemi Homura knew about her beforehand. She knew so much more than every other Magical Girl she ever encountered, so maybe she was aware of all of that as well despite of what she said earlier?

 _But if she knew, why didn't... she..._

Of course. Apparently, Homura was a better judge of character than Mami credited her for. She realised what that kind of revelation would have done to her... If she even believed it, that was. Had Mami not seen that Kyubey held back information, she would have never even thought about him lying to her.

Maybe she should ask her partner if there were more things she was never told, but on the other hand... did she even want to know those?

The blonde interrupted her train of thought to tend to Miki some more. The younger girl stopped crying somewhere on the way and was just lying there, receiving Mami's stroking. When her hands stopped, reddened, blue eyes were directed her way only to find the third-year gently smiling back. "Do you feel better now?"

A slight nod as the blunette retreated from her personal space and rubbed the stains of her tears away. This did not help her soaked top however, so the blonde got to her feet with a lenient smile. "Just give me a moment, I will be right back."

As she turned around, she heard the other girl mumble a "Sorry" but just shook her head as she walked towards her dresser to get another top. "There is no need to apologize."

And there was none indeed. She was happy to be there for someone.

 **. . .**

 _How surreal..._

Just as she told them to do not long ago, her companions had punched a hole into the wall. Instead of just advancing by themselves however, Lilly went with them and strangely enough, the minions were merely observing them as they climbed upwards. Fortunately for the invading group, they came out around the neck of the statue so it was not far.

"Mind explaining what we're doing right now?"

Kyoko seemed exasperated at this point. The redhead was definitely not fine with having so many enemies around her. It was easier to take care of them when they could stand properly though, so she had to be patient and make use of the... 'truce'. Besides, the Witch was interested in how this would turn out.

"Elsa Maria... welcomed me as a guest. So as long as she's not hostile, her minions won't be either. Actually, I'm curious. No other Witch ever tried to talk to me before."

Homura on her other side was just as cautious as the redhead, seeing that she regarded the shadowy snakes with suspicion and a salvo of her rifle was but a single wrong movement away. "Why do we have to come with you again?"

"Because she would attack you otherwise. I told her that you're my servants, so just play the part for now."

To be honest, she did not like this particular lie. Had she called other people her servants, there would be no problem with that because she was superior. In this case however, Homura was her very self and Kyoko at least a decent being that deserved Lilly's respect.

"How did you even talk to her?", her 'sister' wanted to know now. "We haven't heard anything."

"Ah, right..."

With a sigh, the human-shaped Witch took the last fold and pulled herself onto the head of the statue, the Magical Girls right next to her. "It's not really talking. We send out images or intentions with our scent so that other Witches nearby can sense them. Highly inefficient, but everyone is different and our senses are the only thing that is at least somewhat similar."

They walked up onto a larger area that was well-populated with minions while she spoke, although all of them stood still and had their heads raised towards the sky. On the other side of the head, a bigger creature sat in front of what looked like a large torch that emitted the light they saw before.

Elsa Maria, the Shadow Witch. She even had distinct female features, her hands were folded and she kneeled in front of the empty space, praying for something no other being might understand.

The mental equivalent to a "Come closer" was sent her way but the other Witch did not turn around. Lilly motioned for the others to follow her but kept quiet and so did the other girls. Kyoko seemed to catch onto the religious theme of this Witch and understood that she might get angry if someone disturbed her prayer. Or she was just cautious.

As they closed about half the distance, she had the Magical Girls stop and exchanged a glance with each of them, then nodded with a smirk. She would go alone for now. When she got moving however, Elsa Maria sent her something with a quizzical tip; an image of her "minions" standing amidst the head. Obviously, she wanted to know why Lilly let her children there. It took Mortal World's Witch a few seconds of consideration before she could send her reply; first came an image of the other eldritch creature's minions as they sat at some distance from her, then another one depicting Kyoko and Homura at this distance, indicating that she figured that this was how the other Witch wanted it to be.

Then she waited for a few more seconds before sending a third image with the very same quizzical tip: the Magical Girls right next to her and the praying creature.

While this conversation played out, she had stopped walking and knew that the girls behind her were watching their surroundings, ready to unleash a deadly storm of spear and bullets at any moment. They did not need to, though; Lilly waved at them to follow her, so they got moving again. Slowly, cautiously.

With a dark smile growing on her face, the human-shaped Witch walked up to Elsa Maria and got to her knees as if to join the prayer. The Shadow Witch seemed content with that and left her to her own devices for now.

 _Her manners are good, I have to give her that..._

However... maybe she should have asked her to disarm her "minions", seeing that Kyoko and Homura came to flank her. The redhead still emanated distrust towards this whole situation. Her 'sister' on the other hand seemed to be more curious than suspicious.

Now Lilly broke the silence with a sigh that had the other Witch turn her head. She seemed to study her features for a moment, then sent a single quizzical tip as to ask if she was alright.

 _Good grief, I almost don't want to kill you... almost._

In response, Mortal World's Witch rubbed her temples for a moment, thereby moving one of her fingers along her neck so that her companions saw it. They exchanged a glance while Lilly waved Elsa Maria goodbye. In this very moment, the Witch was beheaded by a spearhead and got a whole clip of bullets shot into her body. The minions did not even have time to react and neither did the quickly dieing creature.

However, she still had time to send one last quizzical tip, nothing more. Lilly ignored it. Wanted to ignore it.

The barrier around them faded and regular light returned. With a soft clinking noise, the Grief Seed fell to the ground and Homura took it before looking back at the other Akemi who was still sitting on the ground. Her dress would become dirty now but the human-shaped Witch did not really care for it. She was unsure whether she should wonder or freak out.

 _Why am I pitying Elsa Maria?_

They had been in there for about an hour and she just followed the Shadow Witch's invitation to get around the minions. Did she really come to like her?

"Lilly?"

She heard her 'sister' but did not pay her any mind yet. Before she did that, the Witch had to sort this out. No, she was absolutely sure that she did not like her kin. She might come to like the Witch born from Madoka, but at the same time would not allow this one to exist.

But what else could it be?

"Oi, what's with you?"

She felt herself lifted up and when her eyes focussed on what happened again, she saw that Kyoko held her by her shoulders with her Soul Gem glowing in a soothing red. Was that concern in her voice?

Whatever it was, the Witch smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine."

Which she was indeed after having realised what exactly connected her to Elsa Maria; The Shadow Witch had been betrayed by her own prayers just as any other being in this hidden world was or would be. That was enough reason to pity her. After all, at least the Witch seemed to be decent, so maybe the girl she once was had been as well. And then there were creatures like the mermaid Witch that would arrive soon... creatures that Lilly would only burn.

Her feet connected to the ground properly, then she nodded at the redhead to let go of her. Kyoko did so but continued to look at the Witch while Homura walked past both of them with her usual stoic expression. "We should get going. It's rather late already."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Once they reached the Akemi-residence, Lilly dropped her shoes with a sigh and went for the bathroom to wash up. Homura just shook her head and motioned for Kyoko to follow her. The other veteran had put down her shoes as well and took in her surroundings. "Looks nice."

She just nodded as the two walked into the living room where two sets of dishes were already placed and a third place had a few crumbs lying on it. There was a basket with several slices of bread and a few different things to put onto it. The time traveler sighed and sat down in front of one of the platters. "Apparently, my little sister prepared something to eat for us."

That had the redhead smirk as she slumped down on the other seat.

It took Lilly a few minutes before she reemerged from the bathroom and when she did, she was clad in one of Homura's spare pyjamas. At least the Witch did not decide to sleep naked as she usually did... not that she expected her to when there was a guest around.

But once the Witch joined them, she seemed to notice by how much the amount of bread had shrunken in this short span of time. Since Homura herself never ate much, it was obvious who was responsible especially when said person was still eating.

Kyoko stopped once all the bread was gone and leaned back with a content sigh, although her pleased expression did not stay for long. It vanished once she noticed the looks she got from Lilly in particular. "So, back to questioning, I guess?"

Interestingly, her 'sister' shook her head. "No, there is no need to ask any more questions."

Another purple gaze wandered in Homura's direction. "We have to change our plans."

She nodded at that. "Though there is one thing we have to wonder about. Is Miki Sayaka going to die or not?"

Lilly snorted. "You know it yourself; either does she get herself killed or transforms... I prefer the first one, that lowers the risks. Alternatively, we could either kill Shizuki or that boy."

"Which makes us target number one and completely destroys everything we built up in the last weeks."

It was one of their preferred methods of finding the problems in ideas; one of them stated it in general, the other pointed out what it would do. Since they were the same, they knew that already. However, it felt better to have someone else say it.

"Isn't that a bit cold? How'd you even know that she's going to kick the bucket? And what d'you mean by transforming?"

With this, their attention returned to the redhead that sat opposite to them. Homura sighed and shook her head. "We are aware of her character, thus we know that she will prefer death over changing her views even the slightest bit."

Now the Witch next to her sighed as well. "Besides, you wouldn't have told them if I told you the last part of that story."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

A red gaze wandered from one Akemi to the other as they kept quiet and exchanged a glance. Lilly just shrugged and Homura raised her Soul Gem on eye-level.

"This is what we are, our very being. Usage of magic and the mere passing of time... really?"

She stopped when she saw a pair of slender fingers being placed on the trinket and felt the darkness being drained out of her mind. But why did her 'sister' need to do that now?

"Yes. I'm still hungry."

Apparently, the display of Lilly cleansing a Soul Gem found even Kyoko's interest, seeing that she was observing it attentively. "Why didn't you ever tell me you could do that?"

Even Homura knew the answer to that, so she took the task of replying from the chewing Witch. "Because there was no need to. Even if she told you, you wouldn't have let her cleanse your Soul Gem. Besides, we still don't know if that would even work with someone else than me."

Once her own soul was left alone, she continued where she left off: "As I wanted to say before, these Gems continually darken. What Kyubey does not tell us before however... is that once they are pitch-black, they will transform."

Now her 'sister' looked up and smirked. "The crystal shatters when its essence is reformed in black metal and most of your sentience is lost. Filled with darkness and nothing else, what was once you disposes of the mere shell you call your body and joins my kin."

That was a... creative way to word it but it covered her point, so she would not correct Lilly. However, Kyoko's mouth hung open now and the redhead seemed at a loss for words. She understood what this meant; once the Soul Gem was completely dark, it would turn into a Grief Seed.

"Wait a sec... why'd Kyubey do that?"

"Some great talk about saving the universe is all you will get if you ask it. All I know is that I'm alive because of what it does and that I hate it for that."

Now that statement had Homura look at the Witch in surprise as well. She knew that Lilly was not really happy, but this was a bit...

Kyoko on her part looked down on her Soul Gem with a mixture of surprise and horror. The trinket was lying on her hand right now, slightly tainted but nowhere near the dangerous amount. After a few seconds where the taint increased slightly, the redhead sighed and shook her head. "Y'know, I actually don't care much for that... I'm going to be a Witch someday? Yeah, so what? I'll have a hell lot of time until that day comes.

Her smirk returned slowly but Homura knew that the other girl was just playing tough. She was as confused as all of them were when they found out. However, the time traveler was well aware of the fact that Sakura Kyoko was the one mostly inclined to recover from discovering the truth. On the other hand though, she had to make sure of something so she slightly shifted her posture as to gain the others' attention before adressing the redhead: "Whatever you do, don't tell Tomoe Mami or Miki Sayaka about what we just told you."

Lilly added something else a moment later: "The same goes for Kyubey. When that thing knows how much we know, we have a serious problem."

As she mentioned the Incubator, their guest growled and took a measuring look at her Soul Gem. "Sure thing, I'm not going to tell anyone. You mind if I skewer that rat next time we see it?"

To that, the other veteran shook her head. "It's not worth the trouble. Once its body is destroyed, it will just create a new one. Besides, you would make the other Magical Girls your sworn enemy."

"Crap... would've been too easy, would it?"

Both Akemis nodded as Homura rose to her feet and took the dishes towards the sink.

 **. . .**

As her 'sister' busied herself with cleaning, Lilly and Kyoko remained at the table and looked at each other. The Witch was still annoyed because of how much her idea of telling the redhead backfired. Just why did things like these keep happening?

Whatever the reason was, this would not stop her and Homura, it would just slow down their success. She was still confident.

"So you're her Witch then?"

Lilly looked up as she was spoken to and returned their guest's look with a slight nod. "Indeed I am. But that was not really hard to guess."

Kyoko on her part smirked and leaned back. "How comes that you're here?"

So it was time for questions again... great. However, she had no intention of answering this one in particular. Therefore, Lilly shook her head. "I won't tell you that. It's personal."

"Whatever..."

Of course she was not happy with that response, but the Witch would not reveal this part of their story. Kyoko was far too unpredictable for that and besides, she had not asked anything about the redhead's past, either. Even though that was mostly because she knew almost everything there was to know about it already. However, she remembered something else the other girl asked earlier.

"I recall that you asked for my name."

She got a nod in reply and started to smirk as she flicked her hair. Since she undid her ponytail a few minutes back, it worked out. "Very well then. I am Homulilly, Mortal World's Witch."

The reaction was less than she expected. Kyoko was not looking at her in awe. No, instead she cocked an eyebrow and looked at her with stiffled laughter. "W-What's that kind of name? That sounds stupid!"

"Oh, but Sakura Kyoko sounds any better?", she snapped back at once. Lilly was proud of her name, so anyone making fun of it would be punished. The redhead seemed to realise that she stepped on a landmine as well, even Homura had stopped washing momentarily and was looking over to them. Before Kyoko could try to defuse the situation though, the Witch pinched the bridge of her nose and glared at her sharply. "Don't insult other beings' names when you haven't even decided on yours yourself. I am Homulilly because that name formed within me, defines my very being. Your name is just what others thought would sound good."

That silenced the other girl while her 'sister' returned to the table, wiping her hands with a towel. Homura's purple gaze wandered over the two of them and Lilly was well aware that she suppressed a sigh. "Since your discussion is over now, we should head to bed. There will be a lot to do tomorrow."

Apparently, Kyoko did not know whether she should feel insulted or not. Her expression changed between thoughtful and angry. Lilly just let her be and rose to her feet while nodding at Homura. "Shall we get the guest-Futon out then?"

A nod in return and the raven-haired girls went to retrieve the object in question from a locker. As they walked, the Witch let out a sigh but did not say anything. She felt Homura's quizzical stare and shook her head.

"I guess we have to find a solution... and quick."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

With a sigh, Mami watched the sleeping blunette that was sprawled over the Futon right next to her bed. At least they both calmed down somewhat.

But then again, this might also be due to exhaustion. With those news Kyoko delivered, it had been a devastating day especially for the younger girl.

 _For Shizuki-san to choose a time like this... that is really bad luck._

Of course the green-haired second-year could not know what exactly she did. But maybe if Mami spoke to her...

 _No... I doubt that she would give her more time without an explanation..._

And when there was something she definitely did not want to explain, it was that partly because of herself, a good friend of this girl had become something that was no longer human, destined to fight against true monsters until her very end...

The thought was invoking tears, but Mami was too exhausted to cry any more. She had done so plenty ever since she was sure that Miki was asleep, now it was enough. With a sigh, the blonde sat up and looked out of her window. _Maybe I should talk to Akemi-san..._

Homura was very understanding, she noticed. Very cold but still understanding. Additionally, she did not judge anyone for their behaviour.

But it was two in the morning and the other girl had definitely gone to bed already.

With a sigh, the blonde layed back down and stared at the ceiling, breathing evenly. After a few minutes of waiting for sleep, she sat up again and got to her feet, sneaking around her guest as she made her way for the storage room after snatching her cellphone from the nightstand. Even when it was incredibly rude, she needed to talk to someone. She just needed to.

Deliberately, Mami chose the part of her flat that was the farthest away from her bedroom. She did not want to wake up Miki by any means. Besides that, she recalled having a few cushions in there... and she wanted to be in a smaller room for a change.

Silently, the Magical Girl looked down at the device in her hands, arguing with herself whether this was really a good idea. What if Homura started to hold a grudge for being called in the middle of night?

The hand holding the phone sunk, but rose again after a moment. Mami trusted this girl. She would not just stop being her partner for something like that.

Therefore, she hit speed-dial one and waited for someone to answer the call, hoping against all odds that at least one of the twins was still awake. Then however, she realised something else with a start; Kyoko was staying at their place as well, so what if she answered the phone?

Before the blonde could decide on what to do though, she heard a sleepy voice answering her call: "Akemi speaking."

 _Thank goodness..._

It might sound mean of her not to want to talk to the redhead, but this would have been too sudden especially when she could not bear the snarky behaviour that girl had, at least not now. But now she was presented with another problem; she could not tell which twin was talking to her right now?

"I... I am sorry to call that early, Akemi-san."

"...Tomoe-senpai? Just... give me a moment to wake up."

So it was Yuri. Going by her voice, she did not seem angry about being woken up so suddenly.

A few seconds of silence passed before she heard light rustling over the phone.

"...Alright, what is it?"

The casual question had her rub her knees sheepishly. She actually wanted to talk to the older twin... though Yuri was not normal, either, so should she...

"That is... I... I actually hoped to get to talk to your sister... um..."

It was not normal that she was at a loss for words, but she honestly did not know what to say. How should she put that without insulting someone?

"...I see. You need someone to talk to because of that thing with your soul?"

She saw right through her just like her sister seemed to do all the time. Those twins were both sharp.

Sighing, Mami confirmed the assumption with a resigned "Yes". "I know it must sound pathetic to you, but I doubt that I can bear this all by myself... and Miki-san might feel even worse than I do, so..."

She stopped at this point when the line transferred a sigh of the younger girl. "I get what you mean. But... what exactly do you hope to get from Homura? Understanding? Explanations? A hug? All of the above?"

The third option had Mami blush, but she fought it down and thought about what to respond. Yes, what did she want?

It took her a few minutes to actually understand that. Yuri patiently waited for her reply, though.

"I... I hope that..."

Again, the blonde blushed as she was about to reveal this, seeing just how much she had been living in her shell of confidence all this time. "I hope that someone will listen to me... and..."

"I see. You don't need to say any more."

She stopped in surprise as the younger twin sighed again. "Did I mention that I hold a strong dislike for talking a lot over the phone? Could we meet up somewhere?"


	18. How Did This Even Happen?

She righted the hem of her dress with a sigh and took a look out of the window. Clouds stood in front of the moon so the only light she could count on was that of the street lamps.

 _I'm an idiot._

Just why did she suggest to meet up with Mami in the midst of night? And why did this strange blonde accept that?

Maybe, Lilly reasoned, the last revelation had taken more of a toll on her than the Witch thought. If this was the case, this might be her chance to change the veteran's outlook on life in a way that would serve their cause.

"Lilly? What are you doing?"

A sleepy voice called out to her and had Mortal World's Witch turn around to meet her 'sister´s' gaze. Homura rubbed her eyes and seemed to try to take a better look at her, which was not that easy a task with the lights out. The human-shaped Witch wandered over to their bed where the other girl had just sat up and pushed her back down with a hand on her chest. "Don't worry about me. I'm just going out for a bit."

She got a wary look but after a moment, the Magical Girl nodded and closed her eyes again. "Be careful not to wake up Sakura Kyoko."

She chuckled on her way out of the room. "I could not wake her even if I tried to."

 **. . .**

It was cold.

That was mostly what was on Mami's mind right now.

 _I really should think things like these through..._

When Yuri suggested to meet up, she jumped at the chance while completely forgetting several important things.

First of all, it was about half past two in the morning, so it was cold outside.

Secondly, there was a guest sleeping in her bedroom, so she had no chance to get warm clothes out of her dresser without waking up the other girl. Her hair was not in ringlets anymore, either. Instead it flowed freely around her shoulders.

So now the blonde was walking through the empty streets with the only set of warm clothes she could get otherwise: her Magical Girl-attire. However, the skirt was not made for temperatures like this and even when she was not that affected by them because of her magic, she could still feel it.

 _I just hope that Akemi-san will be alright..._

After all, Yuri did not hold any magical power, so if she got hurt... how should Mami explain that to her sister?

With every step she went, this became more of a bad idea to her. However, she could not just call again and say that she changed her mind since that would be rude. Besides, she still needed someone to talk to. It was nice of Yuri that she even neglected sleep to help her out. But then again...

 _I am a terrible person..._

The thought had her sigh as she slowly entered the small park they agreed on as a meeting place. It was about halfway from their respective places, so each of them should need about the same time. But when she arrived at the center, there was a surprise waiting for her; the other girl was already there, standing amidst the light of several streetlamps and looking her way. Her face was covered in shadows and the blonde could barely make out the purple orbs directed at her.

Upon seeing the simple but elegant black dress she was clad in, Mami paused and looked her over. She never saw the younger twin in anything but her school uniform, so this was something new.

Still, Mami smiled just as usual even though her eyes were burning slightly from staying awake for so long and especially her legs were cold.

"Thank you for coming out here at this hour, Akemi-san. I really appreciate that."

The other girl just shrugged and went her way until they stood right in front of each other and the blonde was given a lookover as well. Then Yuri smirked.

"By any chance, was a certain blunette blocking your way to your dresser, Tomoe-san?"

The guess made her nod in surprise. "Y-Yes, you are right. But how do you know?"

The response she got was a laugh while the younger girl waved at her clothes. "Because you wouldn't be dressed like this if you had another choice. Clothes like that attract all kinds of people."

This girl was sharp, Mami actually did not notice that before tonight. However, Yuri was dressed just as strange with this dress and it could not be that warm, either.

"Though I wonder why you are dressed like this, then."

The raven-haired girl looked down and shrugged. "I like this."

Then she motioned for the chuckling third-year to follow her. "We should get going."

 **. . .**

Somewhere else in Mitakihara, a certain pinkette was lying wide awake with her thoughts wandering. She knew she should sleep, but there was just too much on her mind to get any rest at all.

With a sigh, Madoka sat up and looked at her phone wistfully. She wanted to call Homura and talk to her, learn more about what happened in this strange world she was drawn in. Wanted to learn more about this cold yet gentle new friend she found. Kyoko piqued her interest and so did Witches in general. The only one she ever saw was the doll-Witch that the three Magical Girls fought together.

But it was in the middle of the night and the other girl was most likely asleep. She did not want to bother her right now.

And then there was this other thing. Every time Homura was around, her heart started to beat a bit faster and she suddenly felt self-concious. But why was that? She never felt anything like this before and had no idea what it could mean.

Though... that was not entirely true. The pinkette had one idea about what it could be, but she refused to think about it. It could not be that she had fallen in love, something like that must take far longer.

Before she even noticed that she did it, Madoka's hands were reaching for the cellphone, but she stopped herself again.

 _I can't do that..._

But then again, her body reacted by its own right now.

Fortunately, a faint sound stopped her from wondering whether it would be alright to call nonetheless. That was the door opening and closing, so that would mean...

 _Mama is home._

Another tired gaze was sent at the phone before the middle-schooler sighed again and rose to her feet, putting on her slippers in the process. She could not help herself so she had to ask someone who would know what to do.

Madoka mind was blank as she wandered through the hallway and took the stairs down to the kitchen. Every thought she entertained before reached a dead end by now, but that did not help her to rest. They were still there, they just did not continue any further. It bothered her to no end that there was so much she did not know right now. So much she wanted to know...

When the pinkette reached the ground floor and entered the kitchen, Kaname Junko raised her head to look at her daughter in surprise. "Madoka? Why are you still awake?"

She lowered her head slightly with her expression falling. "I can't sleep."

The woman seemed to take note of her very being, looking right through her. Then she sighed and motioned for the table. "Have a seat, then. And tell me what's on your mind."

She did just as she was told, happy that her mother understood that she wanted to talk about at least a part of what happened right now. Junko on her part went to get her a glass with orange juice and placed it right in front of her with a smirk. "I would give you some of mine, but you're too young for that."

The child giggled at that and smiled right back. "You have to remind me to have a drink with you when I'm turning twenty-one."

"I will remember that. It's a promise, then."

With a smile of her own, her mother sat down opposite to the troubled teenager and motioned for her to start, one hand on top of her own glass filled with some alcohol. Now there was a slight problem; Madoka had no idea where to start.

Which was why she decided to just go ahead with what was on her mind the most: "You see... I told you that we had new students transferring in a while ago, right?"

The girl got a slight nod but nothing else in return, so she continued: "Well... I don't know how to put it. One of those girls is on my mind all the time. She... looks so cold, but she's really nice... um... I'm not sure how to explain it properly, but I just want to know more about her..."

She had been looking down at her glass as she spoke, but now an almost inaudible chuckle had her look up.

"Mama?"

To the pinkette's surprise, her mother was holding a hand in front of her mouth, although there was no sign of actual laughter. Going by the gleeful spark in her eyes though, she was laughing inwardly. After a moment or two, Junko became serious again and smiled at her reassuringly. "Was that everything or is there more to it?"

This tone... as if she already knew that there was. Madoka started to lower her gaze onto the table again, drawing circles on it with her finger and blushing a bit more with every word she said. "Um... yes. Every time I'm around her, I get this strange feeling and my heart beets a bit faster... um...uh..."

Even when this was her mother she was talking to, the girl felt somewhat uncomfortable talking about it at all. But there was no helping it, she wanted to know so she had to ask.

However, the woman opposite to her just wore an amused smile and waited for her to continue. But... there was nothing more to say... except that Madoka was afraid of Homura getting hurt while hunting Witches. Though this was something she would not tell her mother. She could not tell her.

Seeing her lost expression, the lilac-haired woman sighed and took a sip of her drink. "I wondered when this day would come..."

"Huh?"

Now she was confused. What exactly did that mean?

"You have at least a major crush on that girl but actually, I think you fell head over heels for her."

So it really was... the thought had Madoka blush even more. How did this happen? And how could it be that it happened so fast?

"B-But... shouldn't that take, I mean, longer? I know her for about three weeks..."

She always thought that it needed a lot of time for feelings like those to grow. Not like in these Shoujo-Manga she kept hidden in her closet...

Junko's lenient smile and voice had her return to the situation at hand, though. "You know, there are people that believe in love at first sight and people that don't. It looks like you are one of those that get to experience it."

While she was still confused about what exactly was happening, the smile became softer. "I actually thought you would fall for a boy, though."

So... it was not good to be attracted to a girl? Hitomi was right about that kind of thing after all?

Before Madoka could endulge in those questions any further, her mother waved it off. "But I don't mind, really. You shouldn't let anyone tell you whom to love because the only one that should decide on that is you."

Now the smile became more mischievous and Junko winked at the pinkette. "Now I want to meet the lucky girl, though."

"Mama!"

Embarassedly, she looked down again and added something that had the snickering woman pause. "It's... not that I could tell Homura-chan... I'm sure she doesn't like me that way..."

It could not be. Something like this only ever happened in Anime and Manga... and bad fanfiction... so why should this strong, cold, beautiful girl have any feelings for an average ditz like her? She was nothing special and had nothing special...

"But unless you try, you will never find out."

"Huh?"

The pinkette looked up in surprise as her mother gave her a thumbs up. "The worst thing that can happen if you confess to her is that you're turned down and get your heart broken. But that will heal given enough time. If you don't confess, you might wonder what could have been if you did for the rest of your life."

Yes... she was right. Even if Madoka was afraid of being turned down... she would have at least tried. Homura might not seem to like her that much... _Wait..._

With a start, she recalled that day when she hugged the other girl and got such a strong reaction. Yuri's words returned from her memory as well, reminding her that this Magical Girl held back out of fear to lose someone again.

But then, there was also Yuri... in fact, the younger twin spent far more time with Madoka than her sister had, yet... no, she did feel something akin to that, too...

With a heavy sigh, the pinkette planted her head onto her arms. "I'm a terrible person..."

"Hm? What's wrong all of a sudden? Madoka?"

As her mother called out to her, she looked up with a tear in the corner of her eye. Just what happened that she became such an indecent human being? "Mama... when I really feel like this because I have a crush on Homura-chan... then I have one on her twin sister, too..."

Normally, she might have laughed about the dumbfounded expression the woman displayed in this moment but since she was on the verge to tears right now, Madoka had no desire to laugh about anything. Instead she buried her face in her arms again and mumbled. "I'm the worst..."

She always thought one could only fall in love with one person. Now there were two she seemed to be interested in, even when she could barely believe that right now.

But then again, this slight warmth when she thought about those two... was this what having a crush or being in love felt like?

"I see. That's harsh for sure."

She heard the other Kaname sigh and then a slight rustling before a hand gently patted her head. It felt nice to her, soothing. That was why Madoka loved her mother so much; she always knew what to say and what to do.

"It's not your fault, though. Our hearts don't listen to reason, so there is nothing we can do about whom we fall for."

Slowly, the middle-schooler raised her head again to meet a soft gaze of the woman that was leaning over the table. She still did not know what to do.

Junko on her part sent her a mischievous smile. "If you want, you could invite them over so that I can take a look and tell you which one to go for."

As the statement was completed with a suggestive wink, she felt her cheeks heat up and returned a disbelieving stare. "Mama!"

Just how could she make jokes in this kind of situation?

A chuckle could be heard before she got another pat on her head. "I mean it. This is always difficult, especially at your age. So keep this in mind if you really don't know what to do. Okay?"

They looked at each other for a few seconds, the confused daughter and the concerned mother. Then Madoka smiled weakly and nodded. "Okay."

"Good girl."

With that, Junko slumped back down on her chair but became attentive once she noticed the pinkette fiddling with her sleeves. There was something she wanted to ask but she was not sure if she wanted to hear the answer...

"Just ask, I won't bite your head off."

With a start, Madoka nodded quickly and spilled what was on her mind without a second thought. Her mother was too good in reading her. "Um... is... is it really alright for you if I... I... if I fancy a girl?"

She was still unsure whether this was really alright even when her mother made it sound as if it was. This time, the answer took some time. The woman leaned back in her chair and took another sip of her drink while frowning and apparently thinking about something. Whatever that was, her daughter became more nervous by the second. After a minute or two, Junko finally spoke: "You know, I'm going to tell you something. Ever wondered who my first crush was?"

"Huh?"

Madoka tilted her head and eyed the lilac-haired woman in surprise. This question was completely unexpected. "I thought it was Papa..."

Junko chuckled as she shook her head. "Nice try, but not even close. My first crush was Kazuko, back in middle school. I didn't meet Papa before going to university."

The somewhat confession had her eyes go wide as the image of her homeroom teacher flashed in front of her eyes. "Saotome-Sensei? But..."

She was waved off before she could continue. "But that's a secret, you hear me? No asking her about that."

So her mother had been in love with another girl at one point as well... somehow, knowing that made her relax a bit. So it was really nothing strange. However, Madoka also wanted to ask why her teacher did not know when she was just told to go for it anyway, but a look at the clock made her decide against it; it was not even that early in the morning anymore. She really should catch some sleep, maybe it was possible now.

With an apologeptic smile, the pinkette rose up and downed the rest of her juice. "I promise, Mama. I won't tell anyone. But I think I should go to sleep now."

She might ask about those things another day. Junko just smirked and gave her a thumbs up. "Sleep well and good luck with those girls."

Her only response was a sheepish giggle.

 **. . .**

"Say..."

"Yes?"

"How did this even happen?"

What Akemi Yuri aka Homulilly was referring to was the fact that both her and Tomoe Mami had taken a seat on an empty bench in a small park with a fountain of light right in front of them, no one around and both of them not dressed for this low temperature.

"Hm... I do wonder about that myself."

Mami did not seem too comfortable, either. Lilly just ignored the cold as another gust of wind hit her bare legs. She dismissed the thights earlier because she wanted to save time... now the only thing she could do was to endure it.

They were just sitting here, about five minutes might have already passed without either of them speaking a single word. Maybe 'senpai' got cold feet in the end, figuratively that was. Lilly knew that she did in the literal sense.

"You wanted to talk, so speak."

"Oh... uh..."

As she told her that, Mami lowered her head slightly with a mixed expression. "I... don't know where to start, you see? What happened today... no, yesterday was a bit much. Besides that though... thank you that you take the time for me, especially at such an hour."

She waved it off and leaned back while taking in the darkness. There were streetlamps around, but none of them directly above them. Therefore, both of their faces were cast in shadows when they looked at each other. "Don't mention it, I like the night anyway. Besides, Onee-chan's friends are my friends as well."

This certain remark had the blonde perk up in surprise. "Friends?"

So she had not seen them as that? Well, it was not even a complete lie on Homura's end; she always held sympathy for Mami but discarded it every time it would have compromised with her actual goal. "Of course, what else would you be?"

Now that she thought about it, this was a good chance to play around for a bit. If the Magical Girl answered the way Lilly thought she would, that was. Which she did. "Well... your sister... always seemed to keep her distance, so I was really not sure..."

 _Playtime!_

She was actually gleeful to imagine the face she would get to see soon. Fortunately, her own expression did not change as she leaned forward and gave the blonde a serious look. "I could tell you about at least one reason why she does that."

Now she had Mami's attention. The other girl was looking at her quizzically. "Please do, I am curious."

The Witch smirked inwardly. Line, hook and sinker.

Outwardly, her face continued to be expressionless. "That was from before I was born, but I can very well remember it. Homura once was a member of a larger group. Five Magical Girls in total."

She was given a surprised stare at the number. Apparently, the blonde never imagined so many to be at one place, working together... or rather she never thought it possible.

"The leader had about the same personality you have...confident and kind, patient and nice... well... to put it bluntly, that girl snapped one day and tried to kill the others. The only survivors were Homura and one other girl who died against a Witch shortly after."

As she so casually mentioned this, Mami's expression became one of horror. She seemed to wait for Lilly to continue, but the Witch only shook her head. "That's all there is to it. Ever since that day, Homura decided not to work with anyone anymore."

Needless to say, it was the girl sitting right in front of her that snapped... but why telling her that?

"I... see..."

With a heavy sigh, the blonde looked down. "Your sister is very strong, then... far stronger than I am. I think I understand why she is holding back around me so often... and I will not hold it against her. To have lived through something as horrible as that..."

Lilly leaned back against the cold metal and shivered slightly while pondering what had been said. Mami did not understand anything at all. What she got was a general idea... but there was no need to correct her. It was dangerous to be around her to begin with, so provoking or shocking the veteran was not a good idea.

"I won't tell you to give up on it. However, you should think about your priorities... besides, you came here to talk about what happened to your soul, right?"

She was given a helpless look, one that she never saw Mami wear before although it passed quickly and became just sadness as the older girl's gaze went downwards again. "Yes, I did... I... I just don't know... Lately, I found out that Kyubey kept so many secrets... even from me... he made us into Magical Girls without telling us what would happen... I... I don't trust him anymore. And I don't know what to do now... he was always the only one that would never lie to me... and now..."

She let the other girl talk and processed what she actually said; their attempts in destroying the trust she held for the Incubator were successful. Even when this had been a mere side project... it felt really good to know that it worked.

"Just... I was living like an ordinary person for all that time because I thought I was... and now I am told that in fact, I have become something that is no longer human..."

 _Still better than becoming a catgirl or something like that_ , the Witch noted in her mind. Though she wondered whether it was possible with a wish... well, of course it was. Though... who would wish for someone to transform into that? Only girls could make wishes and even the perverted ones found more useful things to wish for.

"What am I... Akemi-san? Can you tell me what exactly I have become now?"

With a slight start, Lilly noticed that Mami was awfully close, not even ten centimeters separating their faces. Thankfully, the blonde had refrained from touching her... or she would know. Her eyes were glistening with tears and while most of the remainder of her face was still engulfed by shadows, however that was possible. The Witch had a hard time in keeping her mask straight right now. Actually, she found Mami's behaviour somewhat gross but also so human...

In the end, she cocked an eyebrow and returned the helpless stare with a blank one. "You cease to be human the moment you stop perceiving yourself as one. If you asked Kyubey this question, he would have answered that you had no problem with what happened to you as long as you didn't know."

As she spoke, she brought a bit more distance between herself and the Magical Girl that was apparently thinking about her words. However, she was not yet finished. "Why do you care about where your soul is so much?"

"Huh?"

The sudden question had Mami's head perk up and the blonde eyed her in surprise. "Why I... isn't it normal to worry over my soul?"

Sighing, the human-shaped Witch shook her head. As expected, the other girl had not given it much thought, at least not the kind of thought that might be able to save her. Because if Lilly wanted her to have any chances of survival, she had to jade this Magical Girl even more.

"You should go and ask yourself: what are you? Are you a blond, busty middle-schooler that's also a Magical Girl... or are you Tomoe Mami, a being that can be described without regards to her body?"

Now there was a mixture of confusion and surprise in her eyes and she emanated it as well. At least there were no people around so Lilly could breath rather freely. However, she continued her lecture after giving Mami a few seconds to think. "If it's the first one then I can't help you. But if you find that you want to define yourself by what you are and not by what you look like, there is no need to help you. I know it's not that easy to get your head around it, but you should stop believing that your life is doomed just because of this. Because either way, you still have your body."

Which was more than Lilly could claim for herself. She was trapped in this slightly familiar shell. On the other hand, her words seemed to lift the older girl's spirits at least a bit. She did not answer to what the Witch said, but she seemed to think about it hardly. And she did not emanate this feeling of loss so strongly anymore. Even with the largely reduced scent of Magical Girls, that had been rather strong this evening. Then however, Lilly noticed something that was not good... so she decided to remind the blonde of it: "Besides... maybe you should purify your Soul Gem."

"Huh?"

Mami looked at her with a start before taking the trinket from its place on her head to examine it. The crystal was not yet pitch-black, but there was not much yellow left, either. Her grief of this evening apparently did a lot to taint it.

"You are right..."

 _I just hope that you have Grief Seeds on you..._

Because if not, this might become a problem. She still did not know whether she even could clean any Soul Gem besides Homura's. Additionally, she had to ask herself if she even wanted to do that, seeing that it meant revealing herself to the Magical Girl in front of her. A highly unstable Magical Girl that rivalled her 'sister' in terms of firepower.

Thankfully, the blonde took a Grief Seed out of her skirt's pocket and held it right next to the blackened crystal, only for it to absorb about every last bit of darkness that was in it. At the same time, the heavy scent the girl emanated lessened as well.

 _Close call..._

With a sigh, Mami leaned back and pocketed the dark sphere again. "How fortunate that Sakura-san offered this to me earlier."

The remark had her understand just why the veteran even had a spare on her... but she also raised an eyebrow at the unusual generosity of the redhead. "Strange. She didn't strike me as the sharing type..."

This remark had the blonde sigh and shake her head. "She is not, but she insisted to give this to me in exchange for being allowed to stay here. Though..."

Now a curious gaze was directed at her and Lilly had a faint idea what was coming next. "...she mentioned that you spent some time with her in the last week."

Of course she knew about that as well... but whatever, that was to be expected. Still better than Kyoko revealing her identity. The Witch sighed and nodded. "I did and I might do it again. For the upcoming battle with Walpurgis, I figured that it was better to have another veteran at hand if necessary. She was the closest we knew of... and I was rather sure that we would get along, so I established contact."

Had this been Homura, she might have added that it was really easy to bait Kyoko with the promise of Grief Seeds or something like that... but this was Mami, so she refrained from voicing that. The blonde nodded slightly. "Even if I would have preferred if you told us beforehand... I understand what you mean. Nonetheless... I doubt that I would get along with Sakura-san, so there is very little chance..."

"Really?"

"Huh?"

Apparently, there was one more thing she had to lecture her about and ultimately, Lilly was annoyed with Mami's attitude by now. Some of that was also visible in the stare she was giving the blonde. "Isn't this quite arrogant of you, Tomoe-san?"

The other girl seemed to be really surprised by the sudden change in tone. "I-I beg your pardon?"

Lilly tilted her head slightly, then narrowed her eyes. "You say that you wouldn't get along with Sakura Kyoko... I doubt that this is true. Why can't you at least say the truth and change the wording into 'I do not want to get along with her'?"

Her voice had become harsher and the look Mami had now was already akin to horror. "W-What do you..."

"And don't play dumb, I can tell that you do. All you need to do to get along with this girl is to _accept_ her actions. You would not even need to change your own behaviour, just open your mind the slightest bit. You complain about having no one to work with, but you only accept people that think just like you?"

Interestingly, Lilly noticed in between breaths, her voice had not even risen in volume. It just became a bit faster while the blonde in front of her was stunned by now with a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Her Soul Gem started to darken once more as well. The Witch just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing herself to become calm again.

"Do you understand what I want to tell you? Staying together with others means to make compromises. You can't expect everyone to do whatever _you_ want without accepting the same amount of their ideas in return. This is what you should think about -if you really can't bring yourself to get along with people like Sakura Kyoko. If she cultivates Familiars, then what about it? You can kill them as well."

There were a dozen atrocities she could say now, each of them capable of breaking this girl. Lilly knew that right now, she held Tomoe Mami's very life in her hands. However, she had no reason to extinguish it. No, this girl had to live.

Once the human-shaped Witch finished her statement however, the Magical Girl put her hands in front of her face and started to cry.

 **. . .**

Just... why?

Why was this happening? One moment Yuri was understanding and nice... and then she said all those horrible things...

What made it worse was that there was a small voice in the back of her head now, telling her that every word the other girl said was true. She was a hypocrite.

The tears were flowing again even when she already shed so many before. But even in this state of confusion and sadness, Mami could still feel a calming presence by her side. The younger Akemi-twin made no effort to comfort he,r but she did not leave her alone, either.

It took the blonde a while to stop crying and she did not even have the capacity to be embarassed about herself right now. Once the flow stopped, she slowly lowered her hands and gingerly looked in Yuri's direction. Who, in turn, looked at her patiently. "Better?"

With a slight nod, Mami straightened up a bit. She was still hurt by what that girl said but also grateful that she seemed to be really wanting to help. Had she not, she would continue to kick her even when she was already on the ground... which she did not.

"Sorry about that, but I could not stop myself from saying it anymore."

Leaning back, Yuri rubbed her hands against each other as a means to gain warmth.

"But really, think about it. And tell me your conclusion once you're done."


	19. I Have To Prevent This

She took Yuri's words by heart and thought. Pondered just what the other girl meant until dawn, oblivious to her surroundings. When the first rays of the sun hit her eyes, shielding them with a cold hand of hers was the first time that she actually moved since she started. Her body was stiff from sitting on this bench for hours on end and she was cold all over, but knowing that her magic would sustain her, Mami was alright.

 _I guess she went home..._

At least that was what she thought until she turned her head around and found the younger Akemi-twin still sitting next to her, eyeing the blonde with sharp yet sleepy eyes... however one could have both of those at the same time. Going by how she sat, the cold bothered her a lot more than Mami... though she relaxed her posture and tried to look as if it did not once the Magical Girl was staring back.

Her mere presence was a huge surprise, though. Mami did not expect her to stay for the entirety of the night and knowing that there was someone by her side all the time had a grateful smile find its way onto her lips as she bowed slightly to the younger girl. "Thank you for staying with me. I really appreciate that."

Her voice was raspy from not being used for a while, so she cleared her throat while Yuri just waved it off. "Don't mention it. Did you come to a conclusion?"

That she did indeed. However, she felt the tiredness creep up on her when the rapid processing her mind made before had held it away.

 **. . .**

Lilly's eyes had been drawn by a few birds that flew past, mostly because of the rapid movement. There had not been much to do these last few hours and she did not allow herself to sleep. Except for that one time when someone tried to get to them with... explicit intentions, going by that man's smell. Well... too bad that her stare was colder than the night and the dress even increased the effect. Although the maniacal grin and her inviting gesture might have helped to scare off that person. That had been the only actual enjoyable event of the night. The rest... had been cold. And in difference to Mami and Homura, she could not just surround her body with magic to keep herself warm to some extent. Her cover was blown if she did, so the Witch had to endure the temperature.

But still, Mami should have answered by now.

As she turned her head back to where the Magical Girl sat, she felt something fall against her and froze in place. Slowly, Lilly's gaze went downwards and she came face to face with the Magical Girl that was resting on her shoulder, eyes closed. That was too close for her liking, way too close. The Soul Gem on Mami's head was glowing, but that did not seem to wake the sleeping girl. At least one thing that was positive. A few more seconds and the blonde transformed back... now leaning onto her in but rather short, yellow pyjamas.

There were a few things that made this experience uncomfortable for the Witch right now:

First, this was not Madoka.

Second, if they were seen like that, she had a serious problem with whoever saw them.

Third, this was not Madoka.

Fourth, Mami actually might catch a cold like this and she would be blamed.

Fifth, this was not Madoka.

Sixth, if Kyubey or another Magical Girl saw the shining Soul Gem that she carefully placed back on Mami's hand, she was in even more trouble. She was fortunate enough that no one had been around to see her transform back.

Seventh, this was not Madoka.

Slowly, Lilly rose to her feet and balanced the sleeping girl with her hand. She could not really let her here lest something bad might happen... not because she was worried but because she knew that she would be blamed if it did. She did not even have to lie to herself this time... not that she had to the other times, though.

With a careful look around, Lilly took in the scent of her surroundings and confirmed that there was no human in close proximity. Following that, she made use of her extraordinary strength and lifted Mami as if she had no weight at all. Actually, she would have preferred to carry the blonde on her back, but she could not really shift her around, so bridal style had to do.

With a deep breath, her heart started to beat properly and she stopped time.

It was a risk like none she ever took before. If Mami woke up for the smallest amount of time and noticed what happened, it was over. However, the alternative was worse; carrying her through a good part of the city while in this state of dress would not go unnoticed. The authorities might smell something fishy and keep her occupied for too long. Also, Kyubey had a good chance to see them, notice Mami's glowing Soul Gem... truthfully, she preferred the blonde finding out about her Witchhood under her conditions, not the Incubator'. If she ever found out, that was.

However, Lilly was too much of a realist to believe that she could keep it a secret for much longer. Events were progressing in a manner she did not like at all and her secrecy would be for naught soon. However, the Witch wanted to try to stall as much time as possible. Maybe she was capable to go unnoticed until Walpurgis. If she did, that would already be a huge success.

She got moving and went upwards with long leaps, passing a few birds that were frozen in mid-air. Her legs were definitely not as strong as Homura's or any other Magical Girl's, but she could make do with the strength she had. Once she reached the roof of the building she was closest to, Mortal World's Witch started her journey towards the Tomoe-residence by jumping from roof to roof, not minding the people below or anything else. Time was stopped so it was not worth paying attention to anyway.

As she held on to Mami tightly, the sleeping girl squirmed and snuggled up to her shoulder... much to Lilly's embarassment. She was not a cushion!

Besides, she completely forgot how quickly this girl could become attracted to those around her if given the slightest bits of affection... or kindness... or attention... oh...

 _Oh no, you will not fall for me. Don't you dare!_

For a moment, the human-shaped Witch pondered whether it would be alright to drop the older girl mid-jump. But that would only lead to unwanted questions. Sighing, she continued to jump from roof to roof, steadying herself with telekinesis whenever there was the need to.

 _But still..._

It was of no use and she knew that. Why was she trying to deny the inevitable? Although... she could get around it if she revealed herself to Mami. That would definitely cancel the attraction... but no, that was still preferred to getting killed.

Her sighs became heavier the closer she came to Mami's home. Thankfully, even the quick movements of her jumps were not enough to wake the girl. Pulling that kind of all-nighter was a bit too much, after all. Even for Magical Girls.

However, the constant use of magic and the depressive thoughts Mami had that night might have darkened her Soul Gem quite a bit again. Actually, Lilly found, this was a perfect opportunity. Like this she could finally start experimenting with other peoples' Soul Gems.

Therefore, a feline smile crept on her face as she finally landed on the balcony leading to the older girl's home. She undid the door with her mind, opened and walked through. After that, she closed the door and made it the way it was before, then turned around and walked out the front door where she swallowed down her remaining energy and let time resume. After all, she would have had a problem if someone saw her walking in from the balcony. Instead, Lilly quickly took the key to the apartement out of Mami's pocket and opened up, closing the door with her foot as she entered the flat... again. It was almost as silent as when time was stopped, the whole building engulfed by the quiet of the morning, this shaking feeling from shortly before actually waking up. It smelled awfully as usual, but the scent was a bit less extreme, seeing that most of the people were in their flats.

As she was inside, the Witch carefully slid down the snuggly blonde on the couch and gave her one last lookover before moving to inspect the remainder of the rooms. Now that time was running normally, she could smell Sayaka nearby. The blunette had been staying here, apparently.

Looking into Mami's bedroom, Lilly found the girl in question and it took but a single look at her to know that her Soul Gem was already closing in on its limits. That was bad.

 _Actually..._ , she noticed after a moment, _...this is perfect!_

With a quick glance around, she made sure that there was no Kyubey in sight. Then the Witch moved over to where the newest Magical Girl was sprawled over the futon and crouched next to her. She was still out like a light, but one could never know. At least she placed her Soul Gem on the nightstand as they did most of the time.

Slowly, Lilly reached out for the trinket while at the same time keeping a close eye on the sleeping blunette. No reaction, just a slight frowning when a slender finger touched the dark blue crystal. Tensing up, the Witch focussed her mind on the soul right at her hands. She could not just hold her Grief Seed against it since it was in her body so the taint had to be extracted manually.

 _Honestly... you should be grateful that I'm willing to give you another day or two. As you are now, you would be dead within hours._

She was as careful as possible, not because she did not want to hurt Sayaka but because she wanted to avoid trouble.

It took a while but slowly, a black strand was floating out of the gem that became a bit brighter again. It was not even half of the total amount of taint, but this was to be expected; Lilly could not just pull out everything like she did with Homura. Right now, this was equivalent to treating a porcelain doll.

As she reached out to the slowly despairing soul however, the emotions that girl felt became a bit clearer even when she was dreaming right now. Carefully as to not disturb her slumber, Lilly's mind worked around the concious parts and pulled again.

After a few more attempts, the Witch sighed and stopped with a small, black orb attached to her finger. As she put that in her mouth and started to chew, a curious purple was cast at the still murky Soul Gem... not really clean, but at least nowhere near as tainted as before.

Additionally, the rare treat had been worth the work, although she did not really savor it. Not yet, that was. Instead, Lilly kept chewing as she left the bedroom with the uncomfortably shifting blunette, returning to Mami's side and starting to work on her Soul Gem as well. The blonde was still in a deep sleep, so she would not need to be as careful as with Sayaka... however, she was nonetheless. Every mistake could cost her head right now and she needed this Magical Girl for Walpurgis.

Like this, the shining yellow Soul Gem became more clear bit by bit as well. At one point, she accidentally touched the conciousness within the trinket but it only had Mami sigh in her sleep and turn around. Fortunately for the Witch.

Once she was done here as well, Lilly continued to chew on Sayaka's grief and put the second orb she acquired into her mouth as well. Despair mixed with jealousy and anger were combined with disbelief, general hurt and more despair. Different people tasted different to some extent, so the combination became an interesting experience. She walked a few steps away from the sleeping blonde and put her hands on her reddening cheeks, trying desperately not to squeal at this wonderful taste. Homura's darkness was always delicious, but she never had the chance to put something else onto it. Well, she tried to eat it with regular spices... once. Those completely spoiled this wonderful meal.

However, Homulilly was happy right now. She might have used up quite some energy with her little episode, but at least she got some of that back right now. And the possible gain outweighed the loss by far anyway.

Sighing, the Witch turned to look at the girl she brought back home, then decided to leave her a short message in a place where Sayaka could not find it. She would not be the one to give false impressions as she held no interest in Mami beyond her capabilities... She did not, right?

Shaking her head, Lilly decided to review that later, once she got some more sleep than one or two hours. It was enough for her to keep going throughout the day, but still not enough to be alright. Her head was fuzzy and she had a headache from being awake so early.

The human-shaped Witch quickly pulled Mami's cellphone out of the blonde's pocket, cheered that it was unlocked and wrote a short message that she left opened as the device returned to standby. Once the older girl woke up and checked, she would see.

After that was done, Lilly took another look around, noted the absence of Kyubey and decided that it was better not to push her luck, so she turned around and left by foot. Thankfully, the landlord was not yet awake so there was no problem with leaving the building undetected.

Now Lilly went for her own home. She needed something to drink.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

With a displeased noise, Homura sat up and looked around. No Lilly.

When she jumped out of bed and went to check the other rooms, the Witch was not there, either. All she found was a soundly sleeping Kyoko who did not seem to wake up anytime soon.

Where was she?

There was something in the back of her mind, but she could not really remember; her memories were fuzzy. The only thing she knew was that it had happened the previous night. Did her 'sister' tell her where she wanted to go? Maybe so, the time traveler could not tell.

 _She should be fine..._

There was no point in looking around. Maybe she wanted to take a sneak peak at Madoka? If so, Homura would not hold it against her seeing that she had done so on several occassions as well. So instead of worrying, the raven-haired girl decided to prepare breakfast both because she herself was a bit hungry and because a certain Witch would complain all day if she got nothing to eat. Besides, her guest needed food as well.

On her way into the kitchen, the Magical Girl's eyes fell onto the table in the living room. She very well remembered Lilly's breakdown, her turning from a confident and proud being to a wimperig mess in such a short time. This was something they had in common, then. Though Homura never displayed pride. She threw that away with everything else.

Sighing, she pondered what to make for those two gluttons, then went with toast anyway. A lot of toast...

As a side effect of choosing this, she did not need to pay too much attention and could continue to think, although most of the time she got with that was spent trying to remember what they talked about in the middle of the night. Something had woken her up for a short while, she was sure of that. Just... what was it? Her cellphone, maybe?

A cautious look was sent towards the bread, but it seemed as if she could leave it alone for a moment. Therefore, Homura strode back to her bedroom, retrieved the device and put it in one of her apron's pockets before returning to the kitchen. Back there, the bread was scrutinized again and exchanged for another few pieces. Homura took the first two and prepared a meal for herself, eating quickly just out of habit. Once she was done with that, she drank a glass of juice in just the same manner. Controlled haste, a necessity for her.

Afterwards, the time traveler decided not to prepare more toast for now but to wait until Lilly returned or Kyoko woke up.

To pass the time, the raven-haired girl flipped open her phone and took a closer look. There were no new messages, neither from today nor yesterday. Although... the only one that even sent her any messages was Madoka, after all. However... there was a call that came in around two in the morning. From Mami, no less.

Slowly, she started to get an idea of what exactly happened. The other Magical Girl had something to discuss, most likely because of her Soul Gem. But why Lilly took it upon herself to answer to the blonde, she could not tell.

However, as she was staring down at the display, a sound played and a messagebox popped up, informing her that she had received a new text.

Looking at the ID had her heart jump: Madoka.

She could not stop herself from reacting so strongly whenever the gentle pinkette was around or contacted her. It was a disappointment at most times, but she actually preferred it that way... not bonding more with her meant that it would not hurt as much when she failed. She could bond with her afterwards, after all... that was, if she wanted to. Homura was well aware that she had no future, so why drag this nice girl down with her?

Blinking, the time traveler resurfaced from her thoughts and started to read. Then stopped for a moment and read it again, blushing as she realised that she understood it correctly... but this could not be.

Madoka was asking her to do something together today... just the two of them.

Her heart was already beating faster and before she even knew she did, her fingers were typing a reply and accepting the invitation... but she stopped them and thought.

 _What am I doing? This is... becoming more and more like the last timeline. I have to prevent this._

But as she went to delete the half-done reply and wanted to start anew, her fingers stopped again. Not because of a concious thought but because something deep within her psyche would not let her turn down the pinkette.

There she stood, looking down at her phone. She did not want to accept but she _could_ not decline. Not answering at all was too rude to be an option... so...

 _Maybe she just wants to talk about something._

Yes, this should be it. Madoka had those episodes where she wanted to talk to her about one thing or another in most timelines, sometimes asking her like this. The wording was different this time around, but that would not mean much.

...

Yes, it was a shallow justification to accept. Homura knew. But the thought of spending time with the girl she loved was filling her with so much warmth that she chose to just accept her selfishness. As things went, this timeline might be the last one she had to endure... so maybe it was alright to bond some more with her.

The time traveler sighed as her fingers went to work, picking out the Kanjis she needed and organising them into the form they should have, then pressed the send-button and put the phone onto the counter.

"Just what took you so long to reply? Message from your girlfriend?"

The sudden voice had her flinch and turn around to face Kyoko, who stood right in the doorframe that connected the kitchen and the living room. The redhead smirked just as usual even though she still looked a bit drowsy. "'Morning, by the way."

At the mention of girlfriends in combination with Madoka, the raven-haired girl found herself blushing ever so slightly. However, she managed to ban the redness from her cheeks a few moments later and went to reply: "Good morning to you too, Sakura Kyoko. And no, I was just thinking about what to write."

"Yeah, sure", her excuse was waved off. "And blushing like that. You're really into that pinky, aren't you?"

Homura agreed silently. More than this girl in front of her might ever understand. However, she decided not to answer her, seeing that this was the only way the time traveler determined that would not result in the teasing to continue. Instead, she gave the other girl a questioning look. "Have you seen Yu... Lilly walking around earlier?"

At the sudden change of topic, the other Magical Girl cocked an eyebrow and smirked while shaking her head. "Nope, was out like a light."

However, the question answered itself right the next moment when a familiar voice called out from the direction of the entrance: "I'm home!"

As usual, she replied with a "Welcome back!" before turning to prepare more toast. Which did not mean that she had not seen Kyoko's new smirk. The lancer leaned at the wall right next to the door. "Playing house? A Witch and a Magical Girl... that sounds so ridiculous if you think about it."

"So what?", Lilly replied while walking right past the redhead and towards where Homura stood. The time traveler looked at her 'sister' for a moment and noticed that she wore her dress. "When did you go out?"

Being out at night in clothing like this... the Witch was fortunate if she managed to get around getting a cold or worse. However, she just nodded tiredly and rummaged through the fridge. "I took a few pieces of her mind and gave her a few of my own... you could also say that I listened to her babbling."

"Who?"

That was Kyoko, the question prompting both Akemis to turn her way in synch and answering the same way: ""Tomoe Mami.""

Despite her question being answered, the redhead blinked at them a few times in wonder. "Do you do that on purpose?"

Now she exchanged a glance with Lilly and simply ignored the question while her 'sister' smirked. "We do so at times, but not often."

Even when she found it quite funny to irritate people like that, Homura did not. Besides, there were things she should take care of beforehand.

"Go and wash your hands and face, Lilly. And while you're at it, change your clothes."

The time traveler did not even face her when she voiced the orders, but the Witch complied anyway. There was not a real chance to argue when she knew her 'sister´s' stomach demanded food and she was in charge of that. If the Witch wanted any, she had to do what she was told.

"On my way..."

However, this did not stop her from having this annoyed tone.

Once she left the room, Kyoko spoke up again. "Mind telling me what she meant earlier?"

"Hm?"

Again, the raven-haired girl turned her head and measured the other Magical Girl for a moment. She did not understand what Lilly meant, after all? In that case, she should elaborate at least a bit. There was no harm done with that.

However, the time traveler turned back to watching the toast as she spoke: "As it stands, I assume that Tomoe Mami wanted to talk to someone and Lilly volunteered as a means to manipulate her a bit more."

"And you think that works?", Kyoko shot back with a cocked eyebrow. "I mean, if she finds out then you're dead."

She had a point with that, but she seemed to forgot a certain fact Homura was still aware of: "Once our cover is blown, she will come after us anyway. Gambling like this does not increase the risk, just the reward."

There was silence as she took care of the breakfast and the other veteran was thinking about her words. When the raven-haired girl turned around with two plates filled with bread, Kyoko shrugged. "Well, I don't actually care. It's not as if this has anything to do with me."

"In fact", Lilly chimed in from the doorframe, now clad in a school uniform, "it does. You are now part of my test."

The Witch let Homura pass and settled next to them at the table, taking one of the plates and starting to eat. Kyoko did the same and asked in between bites: "What d'you mean with that? I'm definitely not helping you with your stupid tests again."

In response, her 'sister' simply smirked and the Magical Girl sighed inwardly. Here she went again...

"Unfortunately, you have no choice in the matter. On the other hand, you don't need to do anything, either."

The confusing wording had the redhead raise her eyebrow again, although she did not say anything yet. Lilly's smirk widened as she leaned back. "As I said, I gave her a few pieces of my mind. If I succeeded, then she might try to be friends with you again. Should that happen, just tell me."

This...even surprised Homura. When her 'sister' really managed to manipulate Mami this much, then there was a very real chance she could bring the blonde into a condition where she might surive.

Kyoko on her part choked on the toast she was swallowing at this moment, coughed a few times and looked at the Witch with bewildernment. "You're kidding me!"

"Nope", Lilly replied with finality. "I'm not."

So... their chances of defeating Walpurgis grew even more.

This was good.


	20. That is Really Unfortunate

Not only the Akemi-residence had been busy preparing breakfast. Somewhere else in town, a family of four sat together with the father playfully helping his three-year-old son to eat, the mother drinking her coffee in comfortable silence and the fourteen-year-old daughter beaming with joy as she ate.

Madoka's state of happiness did not go unnoticed, though Junko was the only one that could guess the reason. Besides, her husband was busy with Tatsuya. Nonetheless, seeing Madoka like this made her both proud and happy. Her little girl had grown up to the point that she fell in love.

"Are you going out today, Madoka?"

As she asked her, the pinkette looked up from her plate and nodded with a smile and a confirming noise. "Yes, Homura-chan will come to pick me up in an hour or so."

However, her bright expression partly vanished once she noticed that her mother's smirk was growing. "Mama? What are you thinking about?"

She was on guard now, but Junko simply waved it off. "Nothing, really."

Of course that was a lie. But she always liked to tease her daughter once in a while, so when her smirk became more suggestively, Madoka might already know what was to come next. "I just noticed that you two might be up for this and that soon..."

It was not that obvious what she meant, although an older girl might have caught on to it already. Her daughter just lowered her head slightly and seemed to think, obviously unsure of what Junko meant. Additionally, Tomohisa and Tatsuya were looking their way now as well and her husband wanted to ask something. In this very moment however, the teenager right next to her flushed a deep scarlet and hid her head. "Mama!"

Which only made her chuckle in reply. Exchanging a glance with the other adult, he just shook his head with a smile and turned to their son. "Remember that well: when girls talk about girls' stuff, you should leave them alone."

"Yes!"

The child called it out with a cheerful tone but then became aware of his sister still having a completely red face. "Maroka sick?"

The curious question had the girl look up and quickly shake her head. "No, I'm fine, Takkun."

Then she smiled and leaned over the table to ruffle her brother's hair, mostly because he did not really looked convinced. Junko chuckled agian and leaned back, taking in the peaceful air around the house.

A loving husband, two wonderful children... what else could she wish for?

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

After they were done eating, Madoka went to get a quick shower and the businesswoman helped out with washing the dishes. A look at the clock told her that her daughter's date should be here soon. And this was what it was, there was no doubt about it.

"Say, Junko... what was that before about?"

"Hm? Oh, that."

With a smile, she turned her head towards Tomohisa while handing another plate to him. "Madoka fell in love."

"So that's how it is. I suspected something like this already."

So he just wanted to make sure he had not come to the wrong conclusion. That was normal behaviour for her husband when it was about the children; he preferred to have her opinion as well. This did not mean that he was unable to read them. Just not as good as Junko herself. The thought made her smile some more.

"Though... Homura-chan, was it? Isn't that a girl's name?"

"So?"

Now it was for him to chuckle. "Nothing, I was just wondering. Actually, I think it would be quite nice for her to be with a girl for a start. Boys that age..."

In fact, she agreed with his opinion. Most boys in Madoka's age were no good.

On the other hand, some people were rather strict about which gender their children were with, but she would not deny her daughter to love whoever she wanted to. "How strange, isn't it?"

Now it was him that looked up to meet her gaze. Junko's eyes had become a bit more nostalgic. "It feels like yesterday that she was born... and now she's old enough for dating..."

"Yes, I know what you mean..."

To see her daughter grow into a cute young woman made her proud, but also a bit sad. Not much longer until her little girl would leave the nest and start to walk her own way.

Sensing her changed mood, Tomohisa placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "But no matter what happens, she will always be our daughter."

Those words were exactly what she needed right now. Of course she knew that herself, but getting reassured like this just made her feel at ease, more confident with her own understanding of the situation. A quick kiss found its place onto her husband's cheeks and the two smiled at each other. There were no more words needed.

However, their moment was interrupted by the doorbell, pulling both adults back into reality. With a sigh and a playful smirk, the woman handed over the sponge and left the rest to her husband, going for the door herself. Madoka was still not ready, just what was this girl doing right now?

A look at the clock made her aware that her daughter had only been in the bathroom for about fifteen minutes. So... this was Junko's own perception of time that was lacking. If this was Homura, then she was really early. So maybe just a delivery?

In the end, the businesswoman realised that it was both; once she opened the door, she saw two girls of around fourteen years, both with raven hair and deep, purple eyes. It took a single glance to understand that they were twins, only distinguishable by one girl wearing her hair open and the other having it in a ponytail. Also, the latter one held the former's arm in a tight grasp.

Both of them bowed in greeting and Junko simply smiled at them. "So you're the Akemi-twins, I assume?"

Both nodded although the girl with the open hair was a bit reluctant. The other one sighed exasparatedly. "We're really sorry to be this early, but I was unsure on how long it would take to drag her here."

Which meant that whoever of them was going out with Madoka was either dragging someone else along... or was shy. It was really cute to see such a girl in this kind of predicament, though. The woman nodded. "That's no problem, but Madoka is not ready yet. If you don't mind, you could come in and wait for her."

"Thatumpf..."

Before the girl got even the first word out properly, her sister had already covered her mouth and finished for her: "That would be nice, thank you very much, Kaname-san. Although... I have to run a few errands so I have to get going."

A light chuckle escaped her as the twins glared at each other, prompting both of them to look at her. "I see. Come on in, then. And besides", she added with a look at the more talkative twin, "I'm not that old a lady that you need to call me by my last name. Junko is just fine."

"Alright. Then please take care of Onee-chan in my stead, Junko-san."

With that, the older twin was pushed through the doorframe and stumbled a few steps past the dodging Junko, then regained her balance and turned around with a sigh. "Behave yourself, Yuri."

"As always."

With that and a smirk, she bowed to the two again and turned around to head off. The head of the Kaname-family closed the door with another chuckle and smirked at their visitor. Her posture was upright, her skin and hair smooth and she had a mysterious air around her... no wonder that Madoka fell head over heels for her.

"So you're Akemi Homura-chan?"

"I am", the girl nodded and bowed once again. "I am pleased to meet you, Junko-san."

Also, her voice was cold an reserved. This would be a hard nut to crack, even for her ever-cheerful child. "Come on over and sit with me, then. My daughter will be ready soon."

She got moving and the girl followed her after putting off her shoes, following with measured steps and a slight tapping on the ground whenever her feet hit it. She was silent and when Junko looked back, she saw that Homura's gaze was locked onto something in the distance, she was not looking around to take in the inside of the house or at her... strange. Was she not the least bit interested?

As they entered the living room, a slightly stressed voice called out to them from upstairs: "Was that the doorbell?"

"It was", the woman replied with a smirk. "Just a delivery, take your time."

At the surprised look Homura sent her way, she just smirked wider. "You're still early and nothing comes out of it when Madoka rushes."

"I see."

The chit-chat seemed to relax her at least a bit, so Junko's goal was somewhat achieved. As they sat there and looked at each other, she noticed Tatsuya playing not too far away, laughing with the glee only a child his age could display. Seeing her youngest being happy like this made the woman smile a bit more and Homura smiled as well, if just for a moment. However, this moment was enough to convey her personality a bit more. Yes, this girl was a nice one though she hid her kindness behind a layer of ice.

"Though... I wonder why you're wearing a school uniform for a date?"

Her teasing was answered with a slight blush and the girl averted her gaze. "I-Is it that?"

Her hands were shifting around her skirt in an uncomfortable manner and she did not seem happy to be called out on that detail at all.

"Oh, but of course."

In this case though, she would show no mercy. Whether Homura was just shy or something else, she wanted to determine that right now. If she was no good for Madoka, it was better to understand that now. Still, she did not let her actual thoughts show.

"You know, Madoka might not see it, but I'm not as inexperienced as she is. So why don't you just admit it?"

That made the girl flinch but there was no more blushing. No, instead, her gaze turned... colder? Maybe Junko really did go too far with that last one... she was already wondering about why this could be such a delicate topic to Homura when the girl gave her the apparent reason. Her words made the woman cringe as they hit her completely unexpected and with the force of a wrecking ball: "Because no one besides my sister ever survived staying by my side for long."

That was everything, but the implications had her eyes turn a bit wider, suddenly the lack of warmth in this girl's expression made a lot more sense; it was not the cold of a shy or introverted person, it was that of bitter experiences.

Sighing, the lilac-haired woman nodded in understanding about what was said. "Alright then, I won't dig deeper. But I do like that you're considerate in your actions, Homura-chan."

She sent the middle-schooler a reassuring smile and held her hand out to her. "It's good to know that Madoka will be in the care of someone reliable today."

She recovered quickly enough to mask her shock about what she learned just before. If it was indeed true -which it should be, seeing that there was no reason to lie about something like that-, then this girl was an orphan and... most likely had not many friends, if any at all. Maybe she even tried to actively scare them away with her cold behaviour as to not put them in danger.

Reluctanly, Homura took the offered hand and they exchanged a handshake that was a bit weak on the younger one's part, but it was fine. Then Junko smirked a bit wider as she let go. "Besides, us Kaname-women are a lot tougher than we look like. Just trust Madoka a bit more and you will see."

However, the reaction she got to that was a bit strange; she did expect everything ranging from a slight nod to a small smile, but not the sudden flash of sadness in her eyes. Or... was that something else? It was hard to tell, seeing that it vanished in a split-second as if suppressed forcefully. Then she got the nod. "I will try to do so."

As the girl accepted her suggestion, her husband walked around the doorframe to the living room with two glasses in hand. "I thought both of you might want something to drink."

With that, cold tea was placed in front of both of them, eyed curiously by the guest and amusedly by the hostess. Junko smiled at her husband and then nodded at Homura to try.

Once the raven-haired girl took a sip, she nodded in appreciation while rustling could be heard from upstairs, prompting all of them to look towards the stairs. Though... how did this girl know where those were? One could not see them from where they sat. Maybe she saw them on her way to the couch?

Whatever it was, the woman chuckled with a hand in front of her mouth as she heard the agitated steps upstairs. Going from past experiences, her little girl was mumbling about what to wear right now. So her hair was apparently done.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

It took Madoka another ten minutes to find something she was comfortable with. In this time, the two on the couch kept quiet for the most part although it became somewhat uncomfortable even to Junko. Homura seemed content with it though, so she left her alone for now. Going from how her sister acted, the poor girl must have gotten enough teasing already.

When Madoka came down the stairs however, her mother started to chuckle after all. She knew how to restrain herself, but this was just too ridiculous. The pinkette herself had been stopped in surprise upon seeing Homura sitting there with the half-empty cup in front of her, but turned to the woman with an embarassed squeak. "Ma... Mother!"

Junko waved with her hands a few times while their guest eyed her somewhat confused, then wiped a tear out of her eyes and finally got a hold of herself. "Sorry, dear... but this is hilarious. I just couldn't stop myself... you two do fit together after all."

After a good fifteen minutes, Madoka settled on wearing her school-uniform. There were quite some cute clothes in her dresser, some of them personally chosen by Junko, so she knew that. However, her daughter decided on something she was more comfortable with... or because she had no trust in her appearance. But... going by how Homura behaved up until now, seeing the other girl in something cute might melt her.

Slowly, Madoka's cheeks lost the colour of her hair when she took another look on her crush and noticed that the raven-haired girl wore a school-uniform as well. So she understood that her mother had not been laughing about her but the situation.

"Um... "

And now she stood there, a bit more shy then usual. However, Homura rose to her feet and stepped away from the couch, bowing to the lilac-haired woman with another of these measured gestures. "I suppose we should get going, then. Thank you for your hospitability, Junko-san."

"Oh, don't mention it. Just take good care of my daughter."

Either she did not see her winking or ignored it. Whatever it was, Junko was rather pleased with this girl Madoka had fallen for. She definitely seemed worthy of her daughter, though that had to be evaluated a bit more thoroughly anyway.

She accompanied both of them to the door and saw them off. When the girls turned to leave however, she decided to throw one last tease after them. "Just so that we're clear: no adult stuff before you turn sixteen, got it?"

Both of them stopped dead in their tracks, the implication making Madoka's face flush a deep red. However, Homura turned an even deeper shade of scarlet at that, interesting. Junko chuckled and closed the door before turning away. Yes, those two might be good for each other. One could warm up a bit and the other might be able to lose some of that childlike innocence by being with a more realistic person. Madoka really needed that if she wanted to have a successful life.

Although something about the look in Homura's eyes struck her as off. This was not how any fourteen-year-old should look like.

 **. . .**

Somewhere else in the city, a certain blunette woke from her deep slumber and slowly sat up, taking in her surroundings. Right, she had a sleepover at her Senpai's place.

But when she looked up to Mami's bed, she saw it empty. A look at the clock showed that it was already past nine, though.

 _Right, I'm sure Mami-san just went to make breakfast._

A bit strange that she could not hear anything, then. But maybe the older girl was busy with something that did not require a lot of noise. Whatever the reason, Sayaka rose to her feet and stretched, feeling somewhat relaxed. Her Soul Gem looked rather fine, too. She could swear it had been darker the last night... but then again, how should it have cleared like this?

While she put her school uniform back on, the girl reminisced the previous day and sighed heavily, reality crushing down on her before she even managed to get something to eat. And now she was not hungry anymore.

Wandering into the living room, Sayaka noticed the absence of noise again. There was nothing besides the tapping of her feet... and an almost inaudible breathing. Was the older girl still asleep?

Once Sayaka rounded the couch, she found her; Somewhat sprawled over the piece of furniture with a rather content expression. However, there was no blanket so she must be cold. At least, the blunette reasoned, she should be. They were Zombies after all, so would the blonde even be bothered by it?

Right, all of this... she needed some time to think for herself, so she sighed inaudibly and looked around for a means to write a note, but there was none in sight.

 _'Do you need help with something, Sayaka?'_

The unexpected voice filling her head made her jump despite the gloominess. However, she did not make any noises as she did. Instead, the Magical Girl slowly turned her head to where Kyubey was sitting on one of the lower shelves. "What do you want?"

Her voice was raspy, but she did nothing against it. Why should she when she was a Zombie anyway?

 _'You looked as if you need something, so I wondered if I may be of help.'_

This never-changing, high-pitched voice got on her nerves now but she decided to bear with it as long as she was around a sleeping Mami. So Sayaka simply narrowed her eyes and stabbed this creature with her gaze. "Like you made me this way? No, thank you."

Especially the second sentence was filled with so much dread that most people would have taken some distance from her at this point. Kyubey however simply sat there with his tail swishing back and forth, ignoring her tone as if it did not concern him. _'I see. That is really unfortunate, then. If there is anything, feel free to ask me. I came here to discuss something with both you and Mami, after all.'_

That was it. She had enough of this carefree voice and ignorant behaviour. Turning around, Sayaka went for the door with a growl. "I don't care what kind of crap you want to talk about. Tell Mami-san that I'm going for a walk."

She got no reply, but looking back showed her that the catlike creature was now sitting on the table, looking after her with its eyes unveiling her very being with but a single look. At least it felt like that to her, so she quickly turned around and went away, softly closing the door behind her.

 **. . .**

"How did it go?"

They were walking side by side through the less crowded streets of Mitakihara, Kyoko munching on an apple while Lilly had her arms behind her back and took in the acceptable scent of her surroundings. They were close to the Elementary School, so the rather well-smelling children made the overall effect almost likeable.

"She's reluctant and shy... it would be cute if it wasn't my job to push her the right way every time she tries to retreat."

The redhead laughed and the Witch smirked, although the former did not last long. She might take it better than the others but even Sakura Kyoko had a hard time bearing with what she knew now. On the other hand, Lilly did not feel great, either. The headache was still there and she started to wonder about the reason.

"You know... I wondered... why'd you end up like this when no one else does?"

So they were at that topic again, one of the very few she did not want to talk about for secrecy's sake. Lilly shook her head. "Just a wish gone terribly wrong. Especially when it was so simple..."

She could not say much but if she did not spill anything, Kyoko would investigate even further. So instead, she would give her as little information as possible. "That certain girl just wished for Homura not to be alone anymore... and the universe as the scumbag it is... replied with me."

They walked on in silence for a few seconds before the redhead nodded at her.

"Second that part with the universe."

This was something they agreed on, after all. Maybe all veteran Magical Girls thought something like that at some point. Actually, it was most likely, seeing that those that survived had to somehow get by within the pieces of their former lives. No one laughed this time, though. The topic was just a bit too heavy to make jokes about. Or it really was the headache.

"Well, whatever. But then... aren't you after that pinky, too?"

"Hm?"

With a sigh, the raven-haired girl put a hand on her forehead once she understood what Kyoko meant. "And what of it? With what I am, that wouldn't work out anyway."

She really believed in what she said. Her love for Madoka was genuine and deep, but she was still a Witch. There might come a time where she lost control and killed the gentle pinkette accidentally. She would never take that risk.

Kyoko kept quiet for quite a while after Lilly's last response. The only thing she heard was the redhead's chewing. In fact, the human-shaped Witch really expected the Magical Girl to give some comment that actually made her consider murder. It was in her character to do so... so if she did not... a new hypothesis could be formed.

"Could it be that you already said something that made Homura angry before?"

She was given a slightly surprised look for that, although a cocked eyebrow was added into it as well. "How'd you know?"

Lilly sighed again and simply grabbed an apple out of the paper bag Kyoko was holding, taking a bite out of it without answering. The redhead let it happen without complaint, so either she expected something like this -which was unlikely- or she did not believe it to be worth the trouble. Or she remembered that the Akemis had provided her with food as well. Or... nope, there was no other option. It was definitely not an option that the redhead saw them as friends. It was not. Period.

Once she was done annihilating the fruit -including its cores- the Witch decided to reply after all. "Because my specialty is to understand humans. I can easily deduce one's character and behaviour in short amounts of time. You would have definitely said something on the lines of 'why not have some fun' or the like. However, you did not. The most likely reason for that is because you pissed off Homura with one of those before and are aware that there's a good chance that I will kill you if you do that in front of me."

Or rather she would _try_ to kill the other girl. But Kyoko did not need to know that she had good chances of defeating her.

In fact, the redhead was eyeing her with a lot more surprise than before, not having expected the small lecture. There was no need to elaborate on her 'sister´s' reaction to a comment like that, either.

Slowly, Kyoko's expression returned to normal and she started to smirk again. "You're really good at reading people, huh?"

Then she sighed and bit into another apple, chewing and swallowing before she continued: "You're right. I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight with you."

Oh, if she knew just how weak the Witch in front of her actually was, she might have reconsidered. However, Lilly was a prodigy in running away and hiding, so it was very unlikely that this girl managed to catch her and take her down. All she had to do was to lure her into a barrier and set it on fire. That was her victory, then.

On the other hand, why was she planning how to kill all the Magical Girls around again? There was no need for that, especially since she already prepared contingency plans just in case one or more of them turned hostile. The only one she could not get rid off was Homura... but her 'sister' would most definitely not turn against her. Not now when they went so far together.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When Mami woke up, it was already afternoon. She could tell by seeing the sun sinking already -it was just April, after all.

Which meant that she lost more than half of the day by falling asleep on... that bench... but now she was back at her flat, a bit cold because she did not have a blanket draped over her... but from how it looked, Yuri must have brought her back.

The thought of this nice deed carried out by the reserved younger girl had a sudden warmth rush through her chest. So this junior of hers really was as kind as she thought. She went out in the middle of night to listen to her worries, put up with her for boring hours and even brought her back home when she fell asleep...

A small tear of joy slid down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away lest Sayaka might see it. A person like this... a good friend... she always wanted to have someone like that. Was she really so fortunate to have found this person? And at a time like this, no less?

Mami noticed her cellphone lying on the table next to her. Someone took it out of her pocket.

Casting a glance around, the blonde noticed that there was no one in sight. Maybe Miki had gone home already? It was likely, seeing how long the older girl slept.

Sighing, she took the device and flipped it open, revealing an open message. It was not long but it made her smile again nonetheless.

 _Sorry for the inconveniences. I went home after bringing you back._

So it really had been Yuri.

 _Despite your cold appearance, you hold so much warmth..._

Silently, the Magical Girl decided to make it up to this wonderful friend of hers. Though the only thing that came to mind was to bake her some cookies. From what she heard, the other girl seemed to have a sweet tooth, so that should be alright.

On the other hand, she was still a bit tired and thus fell back down onto the couch while holding her phone over her head, still looking at the message. It was really not much, but she rarely got any texts at all. To Mami, this was just perfect.

 _Maybe she is at home right now..._

For a few precious seconds, the blonde entertained the thought of calling and meeting up with her again. Then she realised that she really should bake those cookies first. To the kitchen!

As she jumped to her feet with the tiredness being blown away, she also ignored Kyubey whom she just spotted on one of the closets. Mami had no nerve to deal with whatever he had to say right now and when he tried to say something, she just shook her head and went past him. "Not now, please leave me alone for a while."

At least he accepted her wish and left.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Baking took some time, but she was rather confident about the result. As always, those chocolate-cookies were wonderful. When she tasted one, the blonde noted that there might have been a little bit too much sugar in the dough, though. It was alright, she reasoned. Even she could barely taste the surplus and it was definitely less sweet than the icing she put on most of her cakes.

While humming a tune she heard a while ago -was that a song of this famous composer that worked in those Anime she saw a while back?-, Mami put the cookies in a plastic bag and lashed it up before going to clean the kitchen. An hour or so had passed since she woke up, so she made this in a good time. It was half past three right now, after all.

 _'Would you talk to me now? It is really important.'_

So he returned. Actually, the blonde did not want to talk to him now, either. She was still sore about him lying to her so much. However, it really sounded urgent so she decided to give Kyubey the benefit of the doubt and nodded as she went to open the windows for the scent to be cleared out. "I'm listening."

Her rather reserved behaviour was not commented, though. In fact, she was not sure whether he even noticed it.

 _'Thank you very much. I managed to find an explanation for the strange events that happened within the past weeks. Deduction and further contemplation proved its plausibility, so I can assure you that it is correct.'_

This was strange. Why was he beating around the bush so much? It sounded as if he expected her not to believe him, but why would he? At least she trusted in his claim that he never said something that was not true. However, now she knew why this claim was true; he just left out the parts that she should not hear.

"Go ahead, I will believe you."

At least that was her intention. When the words came however, the empty plate she held at that moment dropped from her hands and shattered on the floor: _'Akemi Yuri is a Witch.'_


	21. Bad News, Sunshine

"W-What was that?"

At this very moment, she did not believe her ears. Did Kyubey really just say that?

 _'Akemi Yuri is a Witch.'_

Again in that high-pitched tone that did not fit the situation at all. Mami continued to stare at this catlike being in front of her in disbelief for a full fifteen seconds before she got a hold of herself. Then her eyes filled with tears.

"How could you say something like that!", the girl snapped at the creature. Clearly this was just an attempt to break the trust she had found for Yuri.

With two quick, crunching steps, she walked over the fragments of the plate she dropped earlier and got a hold of Kyubey's waist, lifting him up until he was at eye-level with her. Even now, his expression did not change and that unnerved her a lot. Before she got the chance to continue defending her... friend though, the creature spoke again: _'There is a simple way to find out whether I am telling the truth or not.'_

"You... Huh?"

The sharp retort died in her throat and she became attentive again while calming down a bit. She needed to understand just why he would even claim something like that, so she listened to what Kyubey told her next. _'From what I deduced, this Witch is a prodigy at hiding, which is why neither you nor me could sense her aura before. However, by reviewing her behaviour of the past weeks, I noticed that Akemi Yuri carefully avoided physical contact with me and every Magical Girl at all times.'_

She had an idea about what he was getting at but apparently, he was far from finished. No, it seemed more as if he wanted to give her a moment to think this through. That was why Mami nodded slightly and put him down. "So? What of it? Maybe she is just shy?"

She was far from convinced that this nice girl she found to be such a great person was in truth an abyssal creature that preyed on human souls.

The response was given in an instant: _'I doubt that. She has no problem with touching Madoka who is not a Magical Girl. Additionally, we can use Sayaka as an example; before she made her contract, there was a slight amount of casual contact but it was reduced to zero once I made her a Magical Girl.'_

It sounded so logical but at the same time, Mami did not want to believe that this meant her newfound friend to be a Witch. She did not want to believe this...

 _'Anyway'_ , another statement had her perk up again, _'this indicates that the flesh of her body is muting her aura so it can not be perceived on the outside for as long as she does not use any magic, thus my misinterpretation of her not having any potential._

 _What I was getting at'_ , he closed with a slight tilt of his head, _'is that if you touch her skin with your Soul Gem, it will react to her being a Witch and start glowing. On the off-chance that it will not, my theory will be falsified.'_

Once he was finished, the room became quiet. Nothing but the blonde's breathing could be heard while she pondered everything that she had just been told. How strange, she noticed. A few weeks ago, she would have never doubted if Kyubey had claimed anyone to be a Witch. She would have just gone and killed them without a second thought.

This was Homura's and Yuri's influence, Mami realised. Those two had given her a lead example on staying calm and trying to understand the situation before acting. In a situation like this, she could not just rely on her own impression anymore. Especially when this was about a friend of hers. She could not be a Witch.

"Alright, I will do it. But once I proved that you are wrong, you will apologise to Yuri-san."

For a moment, determined yellow clashed with piercing red, then Kyubey nodded. _'Of course I will.'_

She nodded as well and turned around... only to have the crunching noises under her feet remind her of something she should take care of first, so she left her slippers in the kitchen's doorframe and went to get a broom from the closet.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Once the shards of the plate had been removed both from the ground and her shoes, the Magical Girl sat down on the couch and took a deep breath. Cleaning gave her some time to think this through, so she managed to calm down by now.

 _I should call first._

At least she hoped that Yuri was at home, otherwise she might need to call her sister. On that note, she still wondered just why the younger twin did not have her own cellphone.

There were more important matters to attend though, so she pursued the thought no further. Instead, she pulled out her cellphone and snapped it open, quickly scanning the register for the number of the Akemi-residence. It did not take long to find, especially because there were about seven other numbers in here, one being Homura's cellphone, another one the school and so on... looking at that reminded her just what this situation was. Mami did not like it, not at all. This very one person that seemed to have an actual interest in her feelings, someone she would like to call her friend... a Witch?

No, this just could not be.

But then again, Kyubey definitely never lied to her face, not counting the parts he left out on purpose. So when he made this claim... she needed to know for certain.

With a sigh, a button was pressed and it started ringing.

 _Please be home, please be at home..._

The call was answered after it rung for the third time, though not by the voice she hoped for: "This is the Akemi-residence."

"S-Sakura-san?"

Just what was... oh, right. The redhead was staying with the Akemis for the weekend.

"Mami? Oh, great. What's the matter, I'm busy."

Now she was left to wonder just what this girl would busy herself with, seeing just how carefree and aloof she was at this point. But then again, fighting with her was something she did not want to do, especially when she decided on being more lenient towards her behaviour. "Um... is A... Yuri-san at home? I hoped to get to talk to her."

She stopped herself before calling the girl's last name, seeing that that could also mean Homura. However, Kyoko's heavy sigh had her bells ringing and she sat a bit more straight and at attention. "Did something happen?"

"Wellll... she _is_ here, buuut... she's down with a fever."

"..."

Yuri had gotten sick. Most likely from last night. And here she was, sleeping the day away without any worries in the world. Just how selfish could one person be?, she mentally chided herself at once but even when she was done with that, she was still unable to say anything yet.

On the other hand, it was just a matter of seconds for her speechlessness to fade as concern took over and her expression became more determined. "I see. I'm coming over, then."

"Uh, what? You don't need to, y'know?"

Was that hesitation? It was definitely some surprise in the other girl's voice right now, but the blonde paid no real attention to it or what it could mean. Instead, a slight smile crept onto her face. "Yes, I have to. I might be responsible for that fever so I should at least pay her a visit. Besides... I doubt that you remember how to treat someone who is down with a cold."

"Oi, watch what you're saying!"

At that, she simply chuckled and rose to her feet. "Anyway, I will be there as fast as possible."

Now it was Kyoko that was quiet for a few moments before she sighed again. "Fine... besides, how should you be responsible for Yuri's cold? Had one yourself and gave her a smooch? Or..."

At this point, she simply hung up and shook her head. Just when did this girl start to become this suggestive?

 **. . .**

Slowly, the redhead put the phone back to where it stood before and returned to the bedroom where the Witch currently was.

Really, this situation was strange. Not only did Yuri almost collapse as they walked through the mall, a quick check showed her that the girl's forehead was burning hot. Just how did she manage to both not notice stay on her feet up to this point?

 _Must be the determination..._

And this was something that this being had a lot of, Kyoko knew that.

When she returned to her temporary charge, she had to suppress another sigh. The Witch had told her not to call Homura, although that was Kyoko's first idea. Apparently, dating certain pinkettes was more important than Yuri's health.

 _Damn stubborn idiot..._

And now it was time to kill Yuri's mood even more.

"Bad news, sunshine."

She slumped down next to the bed with those words and took another bite out of the burger she had been eating before the phone demanded attention. In front of her, the blanket shifted slightly as a head was turned her way and darkened purple eyes demanded her to continue, although the slightly intimidating effect was nullified by a piece of cloth to fall in front of her face from her forehead. Kyoko smirked and leaned back. She did what she could for her, even though Mami was right about her not knowing how to nurse someone. On the other hend, there was no way she would go all mother hen over anyone, even if it was someone she could respect such as Yuri... or Lilly, she remembered. the names sounded alike, so that might be why the Witch chose this one as her alias.

However, back to the topic at hand.

"Mami's just called. She's coming over and from the tone she had, there's no stopping her."

A muffled groan could be heard from under the cloth before it was pushed away and landed on the floor. The human-shaped Witch sat up slowly and blinked a few times, her cheeks a bit redder than usual -or maybe it was just visible because she was so pale- and... rolled out of bed.

Not stood up, not slide to the corner, no. She simply fell back down and rolled over until she fell to the ground with a rather ugly noise. The action also startled the redhead for a moment. "What the... the hell are you doing?"

"What does it... look like?", the annoyed reply was spat back immediately, although interrupted by a cough.

Well, they at least knew that even Witches could get sick. On the other hand, it was spreading rather fast... or did she catch it earlier already?

With another groan, the raven-haired girl lifted herself up until she sat on her legs and took a few deep breaths, all the while interrupted by more coughing.

Somehow, the redhead even pitied her a bit for the condition she was in right now. From what she saw of Lilly before, that Witch had quite some pride. To be reduced to something like this must be a major blow to her self-confidence.

Her thoughts were interrupted the moment she noticed that her temporary charge was no longer in front of but walking around her. "Oi! Where're you going?!"

"Kitchen. Water."

After telling her this, Yuri stopped for a moment and looked down, then sighed and continued. "Need to clean myself, too."

Yes, Kyoko noticed that one as well; Lilly's pyjamas were soaked with sweat and apparently, she did not feel well with that herself, either. However, the Magical Girl doubted that she could do that herself while being sick.

On the other hand, there was no one else around that would do it. There was a certain line to how familiar she acted with that girl she still only knew for less than two weeks. Something like that was for family, old friends and lovers. And neither of those applied to her.

This did not stop her to follow the Witch into the kitchen, though. She walked around with a glass she just got out of the cupboard and went for the sink, simply filling it and downing the liquid in one go. Well, someone who was sweating like that must be really thirsty, too.

Once she was done drinking, Lilly put the glass down and sighed heavily before mumbling something and heading back to the bedroom, right past Kyoko. "Tired... wanna sleep..."

And with that, she was back into the slightly warmer room, simply slumping down on her bed and rolling around until she was at least partly under her blanket again. The procedure in itself made the redhead snicker as it looked ridiculous and the glare she was given did nothing to stop her. However, she did so on her own accord a bit later while sitting down next to the bed just like before. "What was that about cleaning yourself? Can't stand up anymore?"

It was meant as a tease, but the other girl did not take the bait... however, she started to move around under her blanket, all the while fixing it in place so that it covered more and more of her body.

"You should really think about what you say, Sakura Kyoko", a low voice told her with something like a growl, but the latter could also be because of a sore throat.

The redhead had been looking for what to eat next, so she was not actually paying attention when something wet flew right into her face.

"What the...?!"

"There is a very easy way to accomplish that."

Once she got it off of her and looked at it... she realised that this was Yuri's top. And once she realised that, the trousers hit her face and she could hear a devious chuckle while her cheeks became red.

"Did you just strip?!"

She was used to a lot, but this was a definite first even for her. Just what was this girl thinking? It was embarassing to be naked around others!

Quickly, Kyoko threw the discarded clothes aside as to not have to touch them anymore. Neither was she comfortable doing that, nor was it pleasant to touch the soaked fabric. Then she exchanged a glance with the raven-haired girl that was looking at her from beneath her blanket, a bare foot peeking out from the other side. "You... just what the hell's wrong with you?"

The response was as simple as it was smug: "I'm a Witch."

It had the redhead sighing and turning away. "Whatever."

Slowly, she calmed down again and decided to leave the room. "Tell me when you're decent, then I think about coming back in here."

No reply but she did not expect one, either. Just what was Yuri thinking and why...

Unfortunately, the doorbell reminded her of another problem she completely forgot about for the last few minutes. _Crap, Mami._

She doubted that the sick Witch was in any condition to fight or even flee, so right now she was at the blonde's mercy when she was found out. Kyoko could guess how that would end. However, not opening the door was not an option lest the other Magical Girl could either open it with magic or blast it apart if she wanted.

The only thing the redhead could do right now was to walk over there with a heavy sigh and open up a bit to look out, confirming that it was indeed the blond girl standing there. Then she closed the door again before she got a word out, undid the chain and let her in. "You're fast."

"I... guess so. Good afternoon, Sakura-san."

"Yo."

Once Mami was inside, the door was closed and Kyoko took a step aside to give her some space. Better be careful about what to do or she might provoke an argument. And right now, this was the least thing she needed, having a fallout with one of the most powerful Magical Girls she knew in the home of another powerful one while said girl's sick Witch was one room away from them.

Besides, there was nothing to gain from teasing the blonde, so she did not even bother.

"So... um... where is Yuri-san?"

That had her sigh again and point at the door to the bedroom. "Over there, but you should prepare yourself first. That girl's nuts... or hallucinating."

Surprisingly, that got a concerned frown out of the other veteran before she sent her an inquisitive stare. "Could you elaborate, Sakura-san?"

Of course she wanted to know more. Kyoko slumped down o the couch in the adjacent living room while a yellow gaze followed her. "I left when she stopped wearing her pyjamas, y'know?"

The implication of what that meant -that Yuri was naked in there- hit home and Mami blushed while the redhead simply smirked at her embarassment. "I think I understand what you mean, then. Nonetheless, I should check up on her."

"Suit yourself, I'm out here."

As she said that, she put a candy bar out of her pocket and started to reduce it to nothing.

 **. . .**

 _She is naked in there..._

The thought was banned from her mind the moment it appeared and Mami took a deep breath, looking back at Kyoko who paid her no mind. The other girl seemed to be content where she was. But on the other hand, a sick person should not be left alone, not even with such strange behaviour on their part.

Therefore, she knocked getnly and opened the door a little bit. "Yuri-san? It is me, Mami. Are you decent?"

The response... both had relief and dread fill her: "Come in."

Her voice was raspy and she really sounded as if she was sick... although she did not respond to the question the blonde asked her which made her feel somewhat awkwardly as she pondered what to do now.

In the end, Mami stood in front of the door for another full twenty seconds before she made up her mind, took a deep breath and pushed it open.

The sight that greeted her was... not surprising at all; she saw a bed on the opposite side of the room and very sparse other furniture. There was a desk as well but it was devoid of materials except for a few magazines. However, the blonde's gaze was almost immediately fixated on the head that was looking at her from under a big blanket, purple eyes somewhat dull, hair unkempt and skin even more pale than usual.

 _Oh my..._

This was a bit worse than she had expected, to be honest. Was her fever really this high?

Once the other girl saw her closing in, she blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes for a reason unknown to her. However, she did not seem actually happy to see her... but not unhappy, either. That was... if she blamed Yuri's groaning onto the sickness.

"Goodness, I am really sorry..."

She took a seat right next to the bed, bowing her head in an apologeptic manner. This was definitely because of her, it had to be. Just why was she such a crybaby that she needed attention in the midst of night? Now even one of those very few people that actually cared about her had become sick because of her selfishness...

However, the younger girl did not answer, prompting Mami to look up and see her with her eyes closed and breathing a bit less heavy than just before.

 _Did she fall asleep just like that?_

Then... would now be a good chance? Even when she was worried, Mami did not forget just what her reason to come here in the first place was. It did not even mean that much, just a simple touch of her Soul Gem to get the reassurance she needed right now. Even when this girl... no, she definitely could not be a Witch. Never before had she seen any of these creatures in human form and even if this was a precedent... she just did not want to believe it.

But the doubts kept lingering in her mind and she wanted to get rid of them.

That was why Mami slowly got to her feet again and walked over to the head of the bed with as few noises as possible lest she woke up the sick girl. There was no need for Yuri to get worked up over something like this.

 _Just a moment longer and..._

As she took her Soul Gem from her finger and started to reach out for the pale forehead however, Yuri opened her eyes and turned her head slightly, her gaze piercing Mami's own. So she had not been asleep after all... the blonde had been found out.

The surprise paralysed her arms for a while, they did not move at all and simply kept hovering in the air half the way towards the younger girl's face. However, her gaze changed from somewhat... angry, maybe... until it became more and more akin to a deer in headlights. But... why did it? Why was she afraid of her all of a... no...

 _This can not be..._

There had to be another explanation than that. Maybe she was hallucinating? Or maybe this was something her body did on her own, seeing that at least her voice was steady when she spoke: "What are you doing?"

"Um..."

The arm retreated quickly and Mami raised her hands in a pleading motion. "Please let me explain, it is not..."

She stopped herself as she processed what exactly Yuri said. No accusation, nothing... just a simple question. Her plea to be heard out was completely unnecessary because this girl would listen to her anyway, so she took a deep breath and calmed down before continuing: "Kyubey... he told me that you... that you..."

But before she managed to get it out, another groan had her stop and return her gaze towards the sick girl that was sitting up and held the blanket to her body... however, Mami noticed the week grip and could also see her back... clad in a purple top. So the girl got dressed again after Kyoko left her side... but nonetheless, it was definiteley no good for her to sit up at this point. "Y-Yuri-san... you should lay down, everything is fine."

"Pff."

The dismissive snort somewhat surprised her as the younger girl fell back down and sighed shortly after, her eyes never leaving Mami's figure. Somehow, this gaze scared her as she could not read it, not at all.

"Kyubey told you... that I'm a Witch?"

The question had her freeze and stare down at the girl with wide eyes. "Y...Yes. How do you..."

"How I know? Because I'm not stupid..."

She stopped to cough a few times while the blonde looked down on her. So weak, so helpless... but even now, she seemed to have control... or was that just her imagination?

However, she just needed to know now, especially when Yuri's behaviour increased her doubts. So she got a hold of her hand, passed the whole distance this time and had her Soul Gem connect to Yuri's forehead. At about the same time, the latter recovered and finished her statement: "To believe that I could fool the rat for much longer."

Mami's mind went blank as she saw and felt. Felt the curse coursing through this girl's body, pulsing within. Her Soul Gem emanated bright, yellow light but she also noticed that it darkened a bit.

 _No... it can not..._

Eldritch power beyond that of any human was within this girl. This girl that had been so kind to her... that cared for her... just... why?

Why was she a Witch? Why was Kyubey right?!

Mami never questioned his judgement before, but this was the very first time... that she had actually hoped for him to be wrong. But he was not.

"Now that you know, what will you do?"

At the question, she slowly lowered her gaze at Yuri. The other girl... no, the Witch had her eyes closed and waited for her response, not moving or doing anything. Yes, what did she want to do?

Her first thought was the most simple: _Kill the Witch._

Everything she did so far must have been to manipulate her in some way for whatever reason. She did not care for that as anger about her trust being exploited filled her mind. Slowly, the Soul Gem disconnected and stopped glowing, her hand retreated and she got to her feet. Then Mami took a few steps back and transformed in a flash of light, pointing one of her flintlock rifles at the abyssal creature's head.

No words were spoken but strangely, Yuri made no attempt to defend herself. It was a bit odd and that was why the blonde hesitated to pull the trigger. What was she planning?

A heavy sigh had her eyes narrow and her hands become more stiff, but the Witch simply lifted herself off of the bed, the blanket falling to the side and revealing her slender figure clad in pyjamas. This time however, Mami did not pay attention to it and continued to aim.

"Before I kill you", she found her voice to say the words, "I want to know. Why did you do all of this? What is your plan?"

This was the very first time that she had one of those beings in front of her that could actually answer to her questions. It might be a chance she would never get again, so she needed to ask. Maybe this would give her some insight in what Witches actually were... and some time to get over her reluctance to shoot.

However, the being in front of her did not even seem impressed by the weapon or her angry tone. She slowly got out of bed, thereby losing the rest of her blanket. Now the Witch stood and walked over to her dresser. "Before I answer to your questions, I want to get dressed properly."

This particular demand had the anger overflow. Fooling her, playing with her heart and then being cocky? There were limits to how much Mami would take and she would teach this Witch to test them, so she quickly dispersed a set of ribbons around her and locked her half a meter over the floor. But even that did not impress her in the slightest, not that and neither her reinforcing her order: "Answer me now!"

 **. . .**

Her thoughts were racing but at the same time flooding with fear. She wanted to thrash out, scream, run away... but none of those was possible. Fire was useless, her telekinesis still not ready for combat... and on top of all that, she had a terrible headache.

With the storm of fear raging within her soul and the sickness confusing her even more, she could not even properly open the bond to cry out to Homura... she was alone and helpless. Nowhere to run, not able to run...

Even with the tremendous amount of willpower she inherited from her 'sister', the only thing she could do not to just scream and cry was keeping her body limp.

 _She did not kill me yet. There is a chance._

 _There. Is. ._

The thought raced through her mind time and time again, becoming louder in her own mental voice. Slowly it drowned out even the fear to the point that she could raise her head and start to look in the blonde's direction. What was Mami seeing in her eyes right now, she might have wondered if she had some small portion of her conciousness left that was not needed to control herself. Like this, she simply stared for a few more seconds. But... there was something else, something in the corner of her eyes. She did not look into the exact direction but made out a glimpse of red by the door... that was in her captor's back.

 _Help... Kyoko will help. Have to... distract._

Coherent thoughts were still a no-go, apparently. However, she at least managed to understand what she actually wanted to do over the voices screaming at her to just kill, to beg, to do anything at all.

No, she would not beg. Never. Mortal World's Witch would not bow to anyone. Not even for dear life.

 **. . .**

She started to look at her... but the Witch's eyes were dark and dull, the meaning within them escaping her understanding. Her secret was revealed so she might just show her true self.

"I'm waiting."

At her words, the eldritch creature flinched and blinked a few times before actually focussing her gaze on Mami, who was a bit confused by the reaction. Just what was going on in Yuri's head?

"What do you want to hear, then?"

Her voice was low and raspy as she continued to stare her in the eyes... no, she did not. Her gaze was slightly off, directed at the blonde's forehead instead. She took note of that and raised her rifle a bit higher, right at the Witch's head. "How about the truth for a change?"

Now there was a slight change in Yuri's behaviour, a small, angry frown found its way onto her face and remained there, her hands were clenched to fists around the ribbons that held her firmly in place. However, the Witch kept calm. "I highly doubt..."

A coughing fit interrupted her, the spasms of her body involuntarily tightening the grip of the ribbons around the slender figure to the point that she winced at the strain that was put on her body. Somehow, this was a pitiful sight even to her who knew what this thing actually was. With that in mind, she had the ribbons loosen up a small bit, allowing the being of curses to breath more freely. Her action brought her a surprised stare, but the Witch did not comment on it and neither did she want her to.

"That you would believe the truth, I wanted to say. As it stands... I might be wrong."

A long-stretched sigh escaped Yuri as she returned her expression to stoic. Up until now, there was not much difference to her regular behaviour, the strange tone most likely originating from her sickness. However... she was really different to how she behaved when they met for the first time. Now that she thought about it, there were situations where Akemi Yuri acted strange over trivial matters before... had that been her mask cracking in the beginning?

But on the other hand... why the sudden change in her beliefs?

"What would make you reconsider all of a sudden?"

The answer to that came slowly, but it had her eyes widen nonetheless: "You... have changed. My words reached and changed you. Had I revealed myself to you two weeks ago, you'd have just shot me, no questions asked. But right now, I'm still alive. Not just that, you even displayed leniency in face of my current condition. Maybe you changed enough to take the truth, for that was my goal; to strengthen your understanding, your ability to question what's around you..."

In that very moment, someone grabbed her from behind, arms sliding around her own and pulling them upwards while another body pressed into her back. There was so much force that even her rather strong body could not stand against it for more than a split-second. She was trapped in this grip with only her legs free to move. But there was only one person that could...

"Wha... Sakura-san?! What are you doing?!"

Thrashing out was hopeless but she tried it anyway. Wiggled around in these far too strong arms and winced as Kyoko pulled her arms even further, almost making her joints snap. "Stop it! That girl is a Witch, we have to..."

"I know."

 _Huh?_

She... knew? Knew that this person in front of them was a Witch?

"But why?! Why are you helping her?!"

Her voice became louder and tears trickled down her cheeks as the blonde mustered up all of her strength to break free... but to no avail. The other veteran merely grunted and kept her in this tight grasp without that much of an effort. All the while, the Witch in front of them was watching with a blank expression while still bound up.

Her attempts to free herself tired her out and after struggling some more, the Magical Girl stopped and slumped back, returning the stare from those purple eyes as wetness flooded down her face. She just could not stop to cry for even when she decided to try and make up with the pragmatic redhead behind her, this girl was once again betraying her...

"Oi, how long d'you want to hang up there?"

The sudden call barely surprised Mami as she pondered what to do. Yes, she could just strangle Yuri as she was still covered in ribbons... but in that case, Kyoko might just kill her.

The Witch on her part sighed and... started to cry. No, not exactly. Tears flew down her face but she did not sob or anything like that. A slight nod was sent at the girl behind her before a raspy voice replied: "I will not forget what you did for me today... thank you."

Did this mean that those tears were... out of relief? So she had been afraid? But why did she not say anything at all?

Before Mami could find an answer to those questions, the being in front of her took a deep breath, held it for a moment and let loose a gust of purple flames upon exhaling, covering the ribbons her face was directed at.

She could feel it again... now it became clear that this was indeed a Witch. Her Soul Gem started to shine once more as her ribbons caught fire and were consumed in a matter of seconds. Strangely though, nothing else was damaged from the flames.

 _So this is it... I will die now... I trusted you..._

More tears came as her face contorted into a broken expression. There was nothing she could do anymore, no way to free herself. She had been tricked since the very beginning.

The captor had become the captive...

As the Witch hit the ground with her feet, the last remains of her ribbons fell to the ground around her, still lit in purple and ceasing to exist even before they reached the floor. The strange lighting covered her body in shadows as she remained standing where she landed, warily eyed by the blonde. Why did she not just finish her off?

Then their gazes met again, yellow so full with disappointment and purple filled with ice.

"Now", Yuri declared as she rubbed her wrists, "we will have a real talk."


	22. Did She Just

The day was... nice. Yes, that was a good word to describe it.

It was a bit awkward to walk right next to Homura especially after all the exposition her mother provided, but Madoka was happy nonetheless. The two middle-schoolers had been window-shopping for a while, although it was mostly the pinkette being excited about this and that and the Magical Girl following her around. At first she thought that her friend was just not interested and wondered whether they should do something else. Then however, she caught a glimpse of the other girl smiling at her when she was not looking, thankfully provided by the reflection of a window. That was when Madoka knew that this was alright and it was just up to her to set the pace.

Before she even realised, several hours had passed as they enjoyed themselves and the pinkette noticed her stomach growling, demanding attention. Homura seemed to notice as well and knowing that made her blush a bit from embarassment. "Ehehe, I guess I'm hungry..."

In response, the raven-haired girl took a look at her cellphone and nodded. "It's a bit late for lunch, but that should be alright. Is there anything particular you would like to eat?"

This was one of Homura's quirks that she noticed not long ago; the other girl simply jumped over certain steps she deemed unnecessary such as asking whether she wanted to eat something as most others would to express that they were okay with having a meal. It was a bit simplistic, but Madoka liked it. She liked about every side of her friend she saw up until know... although the cold outward appearance was still a bit unsettling, she had to admit that.

Before the pinkette had a chance to reply to the question she was asked though, a high-pitched voice cut into the silence: _'I take it this is a bad moment?'_

They both looked up and came face to face with Kyubey as he sat on a nearby wall a bit above them. Madoka quickly hid partly behind her friend with her hands on Homura's back. The Magical Girl regarded the strange creature with her usual blank stare and spoke to it after making sure that there was no one around. "What do you want?"

It was so strange... to be able to switch between a rather casual -even a bit warm- tone to this icy one in an instant, just how did she do that? On the other hand, Kyubey did not seem fazed by it at all but instead tilted his head with his usual smile. _'To conclude my theory, I have to ask you something, Homura.'_

 _Huh?_

Because she stood so close to the raven-haired girl -she even touched her, Madoka realised with a blush beginning to rise-, she could feel her shoulders become more tense. What was Kyubey talking about that it upset her calm friend like this?

 _I... I should say something._

But... what? The pinkette had absolutely no idea how she could be helpful right now. There was nothing she could do to help Homura... except to gently squeeze her shoulders to reassure the other girl. Surprisingly, her friend relaxed a bit. When Kyubey's next statement hit home though, the tension returned twofold and Madoka paused from shock and surprise: _'You are a time traveler, am I right?'_

No response, but the girl right in front of her tensed even more. She knew how to put that; it meant that Kyubey was absolutely right... but how was this even possible? If her friend could really travel through time, where did she come from and why?

"H-Homura-chan? What does that mean?"

Her voice was more pleading than she wanted it to be right now but Madoka could not really do anything against it. She was confused and also a bit scared about the sudden possibilities this girl in front of her held. She might know what the future was to bring. But on the other hand, her hand did not stop to stroke the other girl's back to ease her up even a little bit. This time however, she was not sucessfull in her attempts and her question remained unanswered as well. At least the Magical Girl did not answer her. Instead, Kyubey did it as his piercing, red eyes turned in her direction. ' _This means that Homura is not from this time axis. It also provides the reason why I have no memories of her contracting, but this alone would not do as a viable proof. As I found it, Akemi Homura moves too fast for just enhanced movement. Various observations made clear to me that she either actually uses teleportation or stops time as she moves around. The steady stream of equipment stored within this buckler of hers as well as the fact that she switches between weapons as she pleases indicates the latter.'_

As facts were drumming onto her mind, the pinkette tried to sort them by instinct but failed at doing so first. She needed more time to think about it, this was just... too much for such a short time. Homura was still not reacting and she could not see her eyes, either. Was Kyubey right? But then this must mean that her friend made a wish to travel through time...

 **. . .**

As they struggled before, Kyoko and Mami had fallen to the ground. This did not stop the redhead from holding the blonde in a firm grip, though. She was still restrained by the other veteran and had no chances of escaping while the Witch moved around the room, her figure followed by tearful, yellow eyes.

 _Why does she not end it?_

It made no sense; she found out Yuri's secret and almost killed her, yet the eldritch creature acted as if she was not a threat at all... and then her words. They would have a 'real' talk... could this mean...

 _No... not that..._

If it really was torture as she suspected... what should she do? Homura was on their side and Kaname out of reach... she was alone, completely by herself. Just as usual.

"Wh... What do you want to do with me?"

Mami's voice was shaking by now and she made no further effort to stop her body from doing the same even when it did not change anything about her situation. Kyoko was strangely quiet... maybe the Witch controlled her in some way?

"Good question. Any ideas, Yuri?"

Or not. Although even the other Magical Girl seemed to be clueless as the raven-haired one put down three pillows in a triangle on the floor before turning back to them. There was a resigned look on her face and she did not seem happy at all. Strange.

Mami was not able to think about it anymore, though, seeing that Yuri asked her a question: "If I tell Kyoko to let you go, will you behave?"

The implications these words held made her speechless; did this being that had to be her enemy just offer to set her free? For no apparent reason?

"Um... I think the heat's not good for you, you're talking nonsense. Mami'll kill you once I let go."

Such confidence in her... but then again, Kyoko was not really wrong. If the blonde got the chance, she might...

"I trust her word nonetheless. If she promises not to try anything, there is no need to keep her restrained. Besides... I doubt that this is comfortable for either of you."

This made no sense, not at all. There was no good reason to set her free, at least none that Mami herself could see. Kyoko on her part just grunted and shook her slightly. "You heard her. What d'you think?"

The question was directed at the blonde that was still deep in her own thoughts. It simply made no sense at all, no matter how hard she thought about it. Except...

In this moment, a realisation hit her and made the Magical Girl look at the Witch in front of her in surprise. Purple fire, hiding... she had been fooled since the very beginning... she learned about a Witch that was killing her own, that was a prodigy at staying out of sight and... that was not attacking humans.

Everything became more understandable at once, the vague bits of information she was given at certain points... and the fact that Yuri seemed to be uncomfortable around Magical Girls...

"So you are the irregular Witch that roams the city since the beginning of this month... now that I understand that..."

A sigh had the blonde stop while the creature moved closer and looked down on her with another blank stare. "It was a very fragile structure of half-truths we built... that it held for so long is almost a miracle in itself. Quite ironic, isn't it? The Witch you wondered and worried about was close to you many times, you just never noticed."

Then her eyes wandered a bit higher and narrowed. "Now that's really no good."

She moved in even closer until she crouched right in front of her, the presence of the dangerous being having her scurry closer against Kyoko. A slender hand reached over her head and... touched something above. She felt a chill run down her spine as the eldritch presence of hers became even stronger to the blonde's senses. At the same time, panic rampaged through her head: _She is touching my Soul Gem!_

Existencial fear took a hold of Mami and had her thrash around again with newfound strength, prompting Kyoko to reinforce her hold and curse under her breath. However, a simple statement had her stop and look up: "As it looks like, you won't be with us for much longer..."

Yuri held her Soul Gem... it was shining but she could clearly see the blackness it held right now... when did that happen? It was rather clear just a mere few minutes ago...

"Don't you know that negative feelings such as anger or sadness only taint it faster? You practically poisened yourself. However, I won't allow you to die on us today."

The Witch said all of this in an indifferent tone while Mami's scared gaze prompted a slightly amused one of hers. She presented the yellow trinket on her palm and put her index- and middle-finger on it... then the blonde felt something lightly touch her very being and was overwhelmed by fear once more... or not. She just got a bit numb and let it happen. Whatever Yuri did to her right now could not be worse than dying.

A small headache formed as they remained where they were for a while, Mami hanging limply in Kyoko's arms and the Witch crouching in front of her. Yet she noticed that there was a small, black orb forming around the latter's finger as she slowly let go of the Soul Gem in her hand. The gloomy mood she had been in for those last few minutes disappeared almost completely and she could see clear again.

"The... say what? Thought you couldn't do that with anyone but Homura?"

Kyoko's interruption had the eldritch being in front of them cock an eyebrow as she held the yellow trinket up to take a better look at it. As she did that, the black mist around her finger solidified a bit more. "I practiced a bit but even then, Mami is not Homura. I can't just clean everything like the hearts of my kin do. My own Grief Seed is not in reach to take the taint directly, so I have to work around that. That's another reason why I can't clear other Soul Gems completely."

With those last words, the raven-haired girl put down Mami's soul so that it came to lie in front of her and it was indeed a lot less tainted then before. Not directly clean but at least in a state where she did not need to worry. However, this action sent her already confused mind in another rampage of thoughts and emotions, all of them powered by a single question: _Why did she cleanse my Soul Gem?_

Did she just want to prolong the blonde's life or did she have another goal with that?

"What're you doing with that?"

"Hm?"  
At the redhead's question, Yuri raised the black orb that still seemed to be glued to her finger. "This?"

Yes, this was there as well. Mami herself completely forgot about it... what would she do with the dirt from her Soul Gem now? The Witch herself smirked in a way that she saw before; it was the rather relaxed, sarcastic smirk. "What I always do with raw energy."

And she chomped down on her finger. The somewhat sudden action brought a stupefied look to the blonde. What was more alienating though... was how happy Yuri seemed as she chewed on the orb. How did something like this even taste and why exactly did Mami wonder about this particular question? There were more important matters to look into... but as it was, she was at a stalemate; the voice of reason in her head that demanded her to kill the Witch was now equally as loud as the voice of her heart that told her to trust this girl a bit more.

When Reason argued that all Witches were evil, Heart replied that this one was known for killing her own. Reason then tried to go by cannibalism only to be rebuked with the remark that settled the argument for Mami as well: who cares?

Yes, she did not care anymore. Everything that happened within the last twenty-four hours had been far too much for her to take and had it not been for a certain person steeling her resolve, the blonde might have snapped over learning all of this. She understood this clearly.

For that reason, she relaxed in the grasp and sighed. "You can let go of me, Sakura-san. I give my word not to attack anyone for as long as I am here."

She would see about everything that came afterwards.

The redhead moved only after Yuri gave her another reassuring nod, slowly letting go so that Mami could take her Soul Gem into her hands before transforming back. Then she just sat there for a full five minutes, eyeing the Witch in front of her with a lost expression. She really did not know what to do anymore; first Kyubey betrayed her trust and now this...

As the Magical Girl opened her mouth to speak though, Yuri shook her head and rose to her feet before pointing at the pillows. "Take a seat, both of you."

The black magic was still flowing through this slender body that stood before them, Mami could feel it resonating with her Soul Gem. Why did she never notice before?

Before the blonde got to her feet however, Kyoko already marched past her and slumped down at the indicated place. "Fine with me."

Yuri was still standing and kept her eyes closed as if she tried to do something. At the point where her assailant was seated as well, she sighed and took the last free pillow. "Curses..."

The display of annoyance had both of them look at her only to get a shake of her head. "Let's just say the cold is blocking a good part of my magic. Or maybe it's just the headache..."

Kyoko simply started to eat a popsicle she got from wherever she stored all of this fast-food while waiting for what happened next. Seeing her like this brought Mami to another question she did not have the capacity to ask herself before: "Since when did you know, Sakura-san?"

It was still a bit strange to just sit here and talk things through... but all things considered, this was the easiest way for all of them. Besides, the blonde reasoned, the being she was after was sick so she should go easy on her. Yes, that was sufficient for now.

The redhead to her left simply shrugged and answered in between bites. "Since we met."

So she had been in for more than a week... although Mami still wondered for what reason Kyoko would be willing to work with a Witch and apparently, said creature could read the question out of her face. "I made her an offer that benefits us both... although I didn't intend to hunt down everything in Kazamino when I started."

The last part had her thoughts slow down a bit. Did Yuri just say that she killed every Witch and Familiar in the neighbouring city? A quizzical look of hers had the eldritch being elaborate while she rubbed her temples: "Fifteen Witches and about four dozen Familiars in seven days."

 _F-Fifteen?!_

That was more than she herself got to face in a whole month... now this remark Kyoko made the day before made sens; a Witch that kills more Witches than they could even find in the same amount of time. So that might also be a reason why the lancer did not pick a fight with her... but if she was so powerful then why did she not just kill Mami? Because of her sickness? Or maybe...

Even if the idea was breathtaking and most likely far from the truth, she needed to find out whether it was actually true. Therefore, her yellow eyes focussed on the distracted Witch a bit more. "Why did you not just get me out of the way, Yuri-san? It should have been easy to do that with your powers, right?"

She got no response at first as the raven-haired girl seemed to ponder her question. After a few moments, the reply she gave her had Mami's heart beat faster: "I could have, there's no doubt about that. But why would I do that when I want you to live?"

 _Did she just... is this..._

If this meant what she thought it... stop.

Another thought made itself audible in Mami's mind; this answer was vague, it did not contain any of Yuri's intentions or personal feelings. This was just the same as what Kyubey did before and... what... Homura... did...

 _I see... so you used methods you knew worked on me..._

As it was, Mami could not even blame the Akemis for that. They obviously knew far more than the average Magical Girl and had to be careful whom to tell about it. Not that she liked being left in the dark, but considering what learning about the part with the Soul Gems did to her...

Nonetheless, she would not just accept this answer now. She would drill deeper.

"Why is it that you want me to live, then?"

As the question was voiced, both girls gave her a surprised look. Although Yuri's expression became more of a smirk soon after. "So you did learn your lesson, I'm..."

She stopped herself and sighed. "Guess I should stop with the snarky remarks for now..."

It was nice of her not to test Mami's temper right now and the blonde was grateful for that. On the other hand, this might just be because the Witch was not eager to get threatened again... which was not that unlikely, she had to admit that. Before either Magical Girl could react to her remark though, Yuri continued and answered her question: "For one, we need every fighter we can get for Walpurgis. On top of that, I put quite some work into ensuring your survival, so..."

A coughing fit interrupted her while Mami's expression fell. She had already expected there to be no personal feelings involved, but to get it said right into her face... but would that not at least mean that the other girl was honest?

As she pondered that thought, Kyoko elbowed her slightly to gain her attention. The redhead wore a wide smirk that almost seemed as if it was meant in a teasing manner. "I've been 'round her for a while now, you know... she just admitted to liking you."

That had her thoughts stop and her expression became one of surprise. Did she hear that right? But if she did like her, why could Yuri not just say it out loud? That was a bit strange.

The other veteran started to snicker while the Witch cast a murderous gaze at her as she just managed to put an end to her coughing. "Haven't you realised how proud she is? As if she'd just say something like that."

"Huh..."

Yes, she did notice but never actually thought about it. Yuri was proud, she definitely had that kind of air around her. But then again... why would she not admit to liking someone? Maybe because she was a Witch after all... or...

 _Why am I wondering instead of asking?_

The thought had Mami cast a wondering look at the raven-haired girl that was still like a statue right now. Tired purple replied to her and she realised something once again; this girl in front of her had a cold.

As her worries from before returned, the blonde decided to ask something entirely different after a moment of consideration. "Yuri-san, I want you to answer this question truthfully. Can you promise me that?"

Their eyes met and drilled into each other but this time, Mami held her gaze. She would not give in to this even when the other girl was definitely intimidating. It took a few seconds but then the Witch sighed and nodded. "Promise. Ask."

She did not even form coherent sentences anymore and her raspy voice was a good indicator for the reason. The blonde did not let it bother her; she just asked and when she did, the other girl regarded her with a surprised look. "Are you in any condition to continue this conversation or should we wait until you recovered?"

She was aware that Kyoko was surprised at her sudden carefulness as well and in all honesty, so was Mami herself. She just did not find it in her to stay wary constantly when the only being she was up against was sick like that. Had she not already suspected how Yuri would react to being pitied, she might have done that instead.

The Witch on her part actually gave a few seconds of thought to her question before sighing shaking her head. "We have to... now."

And with those words, the eldritch being rose to her feet and strode out of the room, confused red and yellow gazes following her. Clattering could be heard from somewhere else in the flat and they exchanged glances, both shrugging as they wondered. Right now, Mami did not really want to follow Yuri around especially when Kyoko was staying here as well. Then however, she heard a familiar sound; it was the clinking noise of teacups.

Now the situation became clear and she understood. _I see. Yuri-san is making tea for her sore throat._

So that was what this was about. Reassured like this, Mami relaxed a bit in her seat and waited for the other girl to return.

 **. . .**

 _'So I was right.'_

Her friend stood like a statue but Madoka could feel the tension in her muscles. She herself was just as tense though, seeing that the realisation flooded her mind; _Homura-chan is a time-traveler... she can walk forward and backwards in time..._

But if she was, why was she right here, with her? What kind of mission did she have that brought this girl into this time especially? Maybe Walpurgis, the Queen of Witches...

"And what of it, Kyubey?"

Her voice was calm and collected just as always. However, Madoka thought she heard the slightest edge within it which meant that this was a secret Homura kept successfully for quite some time. Now she was found out.

 _'There is only one more thing I need to confirm for my hypothesis. The wish you made in another timeline, Homura... was it to save Kaname Madoka?'_

"Huh?"

There was no thought as this question was asked. Madoka's mind went completely blank and her eyes were glued to the back of her friend's head as she waited for the reply. This could not be... why would something like this happen? Why should she make a wish just for someone like her?

Homura did not respond and her body was completely stiff, she could see that even without the need to touch the raven-haired girl.

"H-Homura-chan?"

Once again, the other girl said nothing although this seemed to be enough for the white creature in front of them. _'I see. This explains everything, then. I wonder... did you know, Madoka?'_

As the red gaze wandered over to her, she slowly shook her head. Of course she had no idea because Homura kept it to herself but at the same time, the pinkette would not allow this thing to be mean to her friend anymore. This was the one thing that was clear to her right now, so Madoka quickly stepped in front of the other girl and glared at Kyubey. Yes, glared. She was angry now.

"Leave us alone right now!"

She was regarded with a piercing glance, but the creature rose to its feet and turned around to walk off. Before he vanished around a corner though, Kyubey turned his head once more. _'So I may guess that another Madoka's wish gave birth to the Witch you call Akemi Yuri, then?'_

He did not wait for Homura's reply, there was no need to. Even the pinkette heard her surprised gasp and turned around as her eyes widened. Wait...

 _Yuri-chan... is... a Witch?_


	23. I Am a Time Traveler

Once the Witch had returned with a steaming pot of tea and several cups, everyone got one as she settled back onto her pillow and sighed.

"Back to where we were; what will you do now?"

Kyoko eyed both her and Mami as if the next World War might break out at any moment. She did not like this situation at all, but there was at least an advantage for them; she was stronger than the other veteran in terms of close combat and the blonde did not have much room to maneuver.

On the other hand, the redhead was not sure whether she actually wanted to pick an actual fight with Mami. That girl was shaken to the core, even the lancer could see that. Somewhere deep in her mind, there was still a spark of pity.

 _To hell with this crap..._

First Yuri got a cold, then her secret was found out... that Witch should be pretty pissed at this point.

"I... am not sure, to be honest."

Ah, the discussion continued. Kyoko listened attentively as she wondered just what Mami was up to. She had a plan most of the time after all. This time however, the redhead realised, there was far too much outside of anyones' predictions happening and the blonde was completely defenseless. Her mask of confidence was partly cracked and both her and Yuri could easily see the uncertainty below.

This might be the first time Kyoko ever got to see that ever since she met this girl years ago.

"Can you... do you... is it true that you only prey on other Witches?"

So that was what she wondered about?

Kyoko almost snorted as she realised that Mami chose the completely wrong wording. Yuri was a master of manipulation, just as Kyubey was. Of course she was only after Witches, but the blonde actually wanted to make sure that she killed no humans. The redhead was not the smartest, but even she saw just how easily Yuri could wiggle herself out of this question. And she did it with her voice not quite as raspy as before thanks to the tea. "I do. There is no sense in hunting humans after all. Their scent alone is disgusting enough as it is."

"I see..."

Mami herself lowered her own cup and closed her eyes for a moment. Her expression changed a bit... as if she made a decision...

 _No way..._

From how it looked like, this was... Yuri actually managed to convince her? Could this really be?

The Witch looked surprised for a few moments as if she understood that as well. Then Mami opened her eyes and went to say something... she did not manage to, though.

 **. . .**

In the moment Kyubey was out of sight, Homura quickly whirled around and transformed, but Madoka took a hold of her arm before she could do anything else. "Homura-chan, wait! What are you doing?"

Her purple eyes were full of surprise, confusion and... was that fear? However, the pinkette would not let go. "Yuri-chan... that... is it true? Is she..."

"Yes."

The answer was flat-out and without any emotion. A chill ran down Madoka's spine as she watched how the fearful look the other girl had just a moment ago returned to the blank one she always wore. Was this how scarred she was?

"When Kyubey knows, he already told Mami about it. I have to make sure that she's alright now... I'm sorry that I have to..." "Take me with you!"

Her retort had Homura stop in surprise as a few tears welled up in the pinkette's eyes. She did not want her friend to do this alone, especially when Yuri was her friend as well. She just did not want that.

The raven-haired girl always tried to keep her out of harms way, so it was a good indicator of her state of mind that she simply nodded and took her hand. With a series of clicks, everything around them froze and the colours became distorted.

"Huh? What..."

"I stopped time so that we can move more freely. Be careful not to let go of my hand or it will stop for you too. This way."

The Magical Girl startet to run and Madoka simply followed, still looking at her surroundings in awe. It was more impressive than it was frightening and on top of that, she finally understood how Homura managed to move so fast.

As the pinkette was sunken into observing their surroundings, she did not notice that her friend stopped moving and promptly ran into her. Thankfully, the time traveler managed to keep her balance and kept them both on their feet.

Before Madoka could even attempt to apologise, Homura already spoke: "I need to jump now to maximise my speed. Hop onto my back."

As the raven-haired girl crouched in front of her while never letting go of her hand, the smaller girl blushed. To ride on this beautiful girl's back...

 _Ahhh! Focus, stupid Madoka!_

She quickly climbed onto Homura and the slender hand let go of hers only to grasp her leg as a means to steady her. This was really not the time to fantasize, they had to hurry... strange enough that she actually was fantasizing...

"Hold on tight."

"Eeep!"

Her surprised squeak was drowned by the sudden movement when the girl that carried her leaped about twenty meters with a single jump, easily reaching a low roof and continuing upwards from there. They reached the top of the city in no-time and the world became colourful for a few moments before turning blueish grey again.

"Huh? What happened?"

Homura below her answered after a moment: "I let time resume for one or two seconds to save magic. It's more efficient this way."

"I... see."

She was really considerate about what she did. At the same time, Madoka realised that she was holding on to the Magical Girl's neck with a lot of force so she quickly relaxed her grasp. "Sorry!"

"It's nothing."

The time traveler went for one of the edges and leapt off, the sudden rush of air in her ears had Madoka almost squeal. It was really exciting to move around like this once the intial surprise died down!

However, the pinkette stopped herself from commenting on that. The situation was still dangerous even when she enjoyed it so much. Her head was light and what she felt the most right now was the warm body she clung to.

 _Is this... what it feels like to be in love?_

She was not sure... but this was the only explanation when even her worries about Yuri did not manage to bring her into a more serious mood. She was happy holding onto the girl in front of her like this. Her heart was beating a bit faster than usual and a slight blush crept on Madoka's face, but she would not exchange this for anything in the world.

"One more jump."

A moment after it was said, the pinkette felt another rush and they landed on a small balcony that belonged to a slightly older building. Homura kept staying like this for a moment before slowly letting go of her legs.

In fact, Madoka did not want to let go but she knew that she had to. Therefore, she slowly slid down the taller girl's back until she landed on the balcony, all the time keeping one of her hands on the time traveler's shoulder.

Homura's breath was a bit uneasy, but she quickly got a hold of herself while she took the pinkette's hand with her own and opened the door into the flat with magic. They went inside and the raven-haired girl closed behind them before looking around. This seemed to be the living room, although it looked a bit strange... but Madoka barely had time to take a good look, seeing that Homura got moving when she found that there was no one in here.

The next place they checked was a rather small but well-kept kitchen followed by the bedroom where they found what they were searching for.

However, both of them stopped in surprise upon entering, seeing that there were three people sitting in the center of the room, apparently induldged in conversation. One was definitely Yuri and the other two were easily distinguished as Mami and Kyoko.

Not only Madoka was put off by how... peaceful the scene looked especially after how Homura sounded before. Had her friend been wrong?

The pinkette was led over to stand to the side while the Magical Girl kept observing the small group that sat in the room. Then she looked back at her. "I will let go of you now, so you will return to the regular flow of time. Don't worry, I will be right after you."

That sounded at least reassuring. Madoka nodded and the raven-haired girl let go of her hand just as she said she would. From one moment to the next, the world returned to motion... and Homura suddenly stood farther towards the center with a gun to Mami's head.

Kyoko took one or two seconds to notice her, but Yuri just sighed when the redhead was only just turning her head. The blonde on her part was still oblivious because both newcomers were behind her.

"Um... is something wrong?"

Her gaze caught on to where Kyoko's eyes were directed at and turned her head only to stare down the barrel that was pointed at her face.

Madoka did not like this one bit... they were threatening each other... but the situation was still too confusing for her to understand what was actually going on. Besides, Homura agreed to take her here, so she should at least wait how it turned out before chiming in.

"A-Akemi-san..."

The older girl's voice was full of surprise while the time traveler kept quiet. She could not see where her friend was looking but from the sound of it, she had exchanged a glance with her... 'sister'. Yuri sighed again and shook her head. "You can put that away, we have at least a temporary truce. I..."

The other raven-haired girl suddenly started to cough heavily, clasping her chest as she did so and prompting Madoka to rush over to her side.

"Yuri-chan! Are you alright?"

She quickly steadied the shaking girl while hearing a few clicking noises by her side. Homura was crouching right next to her and took a close look at the other girl... and Mami's as well as Kyoko's Soul Gems were shining.

 _Huh... ah, right..._

Yes, Yuri was a Witch. But... why was this creature that should be hunting humans hanging limply in her arms? This did not really fit...

"I... guess... whatever you wanted to say... tell me later."

Supported by the pinkette, the Witch slowly rose to her feet while she pressed a hand to her forehead. She went for her bed and so Madoka simply went with her until she was lying down. Strangely enough, the girl was already clad in pyjamas.

"What happened to her and why didn't you tell me?"

Homura's exasperated voice had her turn around to see the three veterans stand with each other. Kyoko shrugged and turned away. "She caught a cold and told me not to tell you. Wanted you to enjoy your date."

The remark had Madoka blush once more while her friend just pinched the bridge of her nose and did not comment on it. Mami on her part was mostly looking at Yuri with a concerned expression, but then blinked a few times and turned towards the time traveler completely. "Maybe we should leave her alone to rest for a while."

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

That they did. However, Homura insisted on making sure that her 'sister' was well beforehand. Therefore, she quickly went and wiped the sweat off of her while the other three were waiting in the living room, silent and busy with their own thoughts.

Madoka really wondered what happened before... Mami and Kyoko were not looking at each other. The blonde absentmindedly played with her left ringlet while the redhead was eating another bar of chocolate.

At one point, the pinkette was unable to take the tension anymore and simply asked what was on her mind. "Um... what happened?"

Both girls looked at her, although Mami seemed at a loss for words and Kyoko measured her for a few moments, so she quickly added: "Um... so... you... found out about Yuri-chan?"

The redhead only raised an eyebrow while the blonde looked at her dumbfounded. "You knew as well, Kaname-san?"

 _Oh... I really made it sound like I did..._

Madoka quickly went to correct the mistake she just made with a slight spark of embarassment. "Ah, no! That's not it... but Kyubey came and told me a few minutes ago..."

"Oh... I see."

As the usually so confident girl leaned back and massaged her temples, the other veteran sighed and put the wrapper of her snack on the table. "You know... the whole day's been a mess. First Yuri's cold, now that crap with Kyubey... give me a break!"

It still sounded strange that a Witch of all people would have gotten sick. But then again, she also thought that those creatures were not looking like humans and from how it looked like, the veterans had the same belief.

"Um... by any chance, do you know why Yuri-chan looks like this?"

Mami just shook her head while Kyoko started to smirk again. "Actually, I do know. Yuri told me that a friend of Homura made some kind of wish for her not being alone... and poof, there she was. The universe really is an asshole at times, don't you... uh... you okay?"

The explanation had Madoka's confused mind finally connect the dots and she understood... at the same time, woolly memories flashed in front of her mind's eye, images of dark clouds, flying buildings and pink light.

The pinkette's expression was one of complete shock as she realised just _who_ made the wish that created Akemi Yuri. All the things the two girls told them in these weeks, they clicked in place and became a horrifying truth that had tears roll down her cheeks. The other Magical Girls were forgotten and Madoka jumped to her feet.

 **. . .**

When the younger girl suddenly started to cry and rose out of her seat, Mami became attentive again with a start. "Kaname-san?"

She did not get a response and on top of that, the pinkette started to run away... before she jumped the returning Homura that was just as surprised by what was happening.

"Wha... Madoka?"

The raven-haired girl looked both confused and flustered by what the smaller one was doing while the other veterans only shared the first of the two. Kyoko scratched her head and exchanged a glance with Mami... who only shook hers in response. No, she had no idea.

"What did you tell her?"

Homura sounded mostly tired as of now and the blonde was not really surprised. She felt about the same after all. This day had been full of revelations and strange occurences that it was hard to get it all around her head.

"Well... just what Yuri told me about how she was born, nothing else. Any idea why she's like that?"

The only one that seemed completely undisturbed by what happened was the redhead, although her eyes were still on the crying pinkette. From how the two stood there, Homura was unable to move properly. However, her eyes widened ever so slightly and she turned her head as much as possible to look at the pink hair she could make out. "I see. So you understood."

A confirming sound came from Kaname while curiousity awoke within Mami once again. Now this was something she did not know and even when there was a good chance that it was another of those revelations, she wanted to learn more about the other Magical Girl. This might be her only chance.

Homura on her part just sighed. "Since Kyubey found out, there is no more harm in telling you... if I didn't, it would tell you anyway."

Then she opened her eyes and put her arms around the shaking girl. "I am a time traveler."

A few seconds passed where neither of them said anything, much to the raven-haired girl's confusion. Mami just eyed her with a somewhat dull gaze while Kyoko did not even spare a glance. "You... don't seem surprised."

In fact, she was... somewhere deep down. The blonde sighed and nodded slightly. "I guess I am... but there has been so much happening today that I can not find it in me to be shocked any more."

"Figures", Kyoko added with her hands behind her head. "You've been acting as if you'd know everything about everyone and you really did... Witch-girl knew how to act around me from the start and you somehow even got Mami to your side. Something like time-travel isn't that stupid an explanation for that kind of knowledge, y'know?"

Mami had to agree with that. She never met the Akemis before, but they knew how to act around her as if they had been with her for years... years.

 _'"Homura once was a member of a larger group. Five Magical Girls in total._

 _The leader... the same personality you have..._

 _...same personality..._

 _...Snapped... tried to kill the others..."'_

Miki Sayaka.

Sakura Kyoko.

Akemi Homura.

Tomoe Mami.

Kaname Madoka.

That made five.

There was very little reason for this explanation to be a lie... so Yuri's words most likely meant...

 _I see..._

It was strange that the realisation did not make her cry or scream or simply faint... she was just numb, did not want to think about it more. Mami herself figured that she might have snapped already, had it not been for what the Akemis did...

"I guess this at least explains why you treated me like a raw egg for the whole time..."

Although it could also be compared to a bomb...

The blonde's words brought her two quizzical stares, seeing that Kaname was still crying against Homura's shoulder. Maybe she figured that her enormous potential had something to do with Yuri's existence? It would make sense after all.

"What d'you mean?"

The redhead's question brought a tired, slightly sad smile to her lips. "Yuri-san told me a few things last night... I just realised that the people she spoke about were us and not just some strangers of A... Homura-san's past."

It was her who did horrible things to this girl... time and time again, that was for sure. But even then, this time-traveler did not seem to resent or hate her...

"I... can guess what she told you. A lot happened since I began restarting this month... but as it seems, this loop might be the last."

Now Kyoko became attentive again and Mami motioned for the younger girl to continue while the pinkette at her shoulder slowly started to calm down and let go, listening in as well. Homura led her to the couch and had her take a seat before sitting down herself and eyeing the other veterans with a hard stare. "The one purpose I came back time and time again is to defeat Walpurgis and stop her from destroying the city."

Which would mean that she could not do it before... so...

"Unfortunately, it was I alone that tried to defeat the Witch before. It should be possible with the three of us and Yuri agrees with my train of thought."

So that meant that she herself snapped and or died every time while Kyoko got herself killed in some way or another as well. Although... what about Miki?

As the question presented itself, Mami felt a pang of guilt for the thought that came with it. With _all due respect to Miki-san... I doubt that she would have changed much._

Even Mami could understand that.

"Soo... we're killing Walpurgis and then?"

Kyoko eyed the time traveler with a raised eyebrow, but the younger girl simply shook her head. "I never thought about it before. Preparing for the fight with the Witch takes priority."

This cold determination... it was for the first time that the blonde actually took note of it and wondered as she understood... just how far did this girl go in her past?

Nonetheless, she would not ask for that piece of information. This just meant that in the end, Kyubey was at fault for how Homura turned out to be as well. Kyubey... now that she thought about it, Mami wondered what he was actually up to...

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

So this plan had failed.

 _It is not much of a problem anyway. Walpurgis will arrive in thirteen days and even all of them together will not stand a chance._

Nonetheless, there was still the possibility of the three Magical Girls succeeding against its expectations; unfortunately for the Incubator, time became more and more essential.

 _I am down to a small variety of methods now. Your time-travels prepared you very well, Homura..._

To think that she even hunted down all the more promising Magical Girls in the adjacent cities except for Sakura Kyoko... it could not bring in people from somewhere else, especially not now. Mami and Kyoko were forces to be reckoned with and then there were Homura and her Witch as well. Those four could take down even significantly larger groups, so making someone fight them head-on could only fail or backfire -the latter as in that they managed to get the girls Kyubey sent on their side.

No, subtlety was necessary to gain certainty over the demise of Mitakihara. Kyubey preferred this course of action anyway, seeing that it was always more promising to simply use a few words and have the rest happen by itself.

 _There are currently two promising breaking points... although you will already know them._

The more urgent one was Miki Sayaka. Going by the rate her Soul Gem darkened, the girl would become a Witch within the next twenty-four hours. Once that happened, the Incubator just needed to tip off Madoka... although this was most likely futile. From the look of it, the pink-haired girl would stay at the Akemi-residence for this night, guarded by both Homura and Kyoko. On the off-chance that it managed to get to her and she listened to its words, the amount of bodies it was to lose in exchange was not worth the risk.

Therefore, Sayaka was not a really viable option, except if Kyubey got her to transform right in front of the other girls. On the other hand though, this was far from favourable as it endangered the other, more promising plan it had.

 _Her death is inevitable... and even when you manage to kill the Witch that will be born from her Soul Gem, there will be a lingering doubt. Humans are unreasonable, but not so far that I can not predict them properly._

Of the people that were currently endangering its contract with Kaname Madoka, Akemi Yuri was the most dangerous; after all, her mind was the most cunning and ruthless one. She seemed to play the Incubator's own methods against it... which meant that she was a prodigy in the field of manipulation and for that, she held Kyubey's respect.

Nonetheless, the odds were good that its last method would finally bring the results that were needed.

The calculations were already done, so it returned to its usual tasks; namely observing the Magical Girls around the world, helping them out whenever they asked for it, talking to them, disposing of Grief Seeds and contracting more girls.

Being the Messenger of Magic was a profession only the best of its people were chosen for ever since Ichibey, the first one had been sent to Earth. It demanded to have a fast mind and to be able to keep everything under observation without losing one's own sense of logic.

Currently, there were five million, three hundred fifty-three thousand, seven hundred and fourty-two bodies active on this planet, with another million on standby if one was lost. The processing of what they saw and heard as well as scanned from the minds of humans took most of Kyubey's mental capacities. Normally, the remainder was utilized to work on expanding the general knowledge of the race, working on mathematical problems or conducting theoretical experiments.

Right now, every free part of Kyubey's mind focussed on this one problem; how should... could it destroy the Witch that was called Akemi Yuri, a creature that was born from the despair of a time traveler by the wish of Kaname Madoka.

 _This is definitely bothersome._

Which did not mean that the Incubator would not try. It would make a bad record if it let the greatest resource they ever found go to waste after a mere seventy human years of service.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Homura went out to hunt while the other veterans stayed with her and Yuri. Mami decided to look after the sick Witch from time to time and spent the rest of it sitting in the living room with Madoka and Kyoko. Although neither of them spoke much, it was nice to know that she was not alone right now... the pinkette was not sure whether she could have taken that.

 _Yuri-chan... was created because of me. Homura-chan... became like this because of me... everything is a mess... because of me..._

She could not lie to herself. This was her fault, even when all the others would tell her that she could not know.

Madoka was not happy with the situation... she wanted to do something to help. However, she was painfully aware of a certain fact: both Homura and Yuri tried their hardest to keep her out of the world of magic this whole time. Would that not mean that her contracting would only make things worse?

The pinkette quickly shook off the thought. It was no good to ponder something like this for too long.

On the other hand, there was Yuri who was a Witch, a human-shaped one on top of that. Why did she take that form and what was she capable of?

 _This... at least explains the strange feeling I had around her..._

Although she never noticed before... no, that was not true. Madoka did notice that something was off once. She never told anyone about it because she was unsure what it meant... but on that one day, Yuri had deeply bitten in her own finger... and after that short episode where she snapped at Sayaka, the wound had been healed. No one else noticed, not even the Witch herself. Everyone was so surprised by what happened... that only the girl on the ground became aware of it because the priorly injured finger was right in front of her.

This had been the only mistake Yuri ever made in her disguise... at least the only one she could think and knew of.

Nonetheless, Madoka was not happy with how it turned out... she just hoped that everything would be fine.


	24. I Think I Finally Understand

Sunday afternoon.

She slept a full eighteen hours.

 _Just how..._

It was not just that her stomach felt completely empty... she was incredibly thirsty as well. How did she manage to sleep this long without waking up to eat?

Now Lilly was lying on the bed in her once again soaked pyjamas and contemplated whether it was safe to stand up. The headache was mostly gone and her throat did not feel as sore anymore. However... now that the pain was gone, her fear was even more dominant than before.

The last thing the Witch remembered clearly was that everything went monochrome for a minute or two... so she did not manage to get an actual connection with Homura, although they were synchronized. Once she understood that, she turned it off to save magic. It had been a great relief to know that her sister was on her way.

Now however, she was alone. There were two people in the adjacent rooms, one of them Kyoko and the other... Mami. Why was she still here? Or had she come over again?

 _I need to focus. She didn't attack me up until now, so I should be fine._

At least the magic flowing through her body fought down the cold rather efficiently. She felt much better than the day before, her mind was working again... yes, she could run if necessary.

Nonetheless, the light knock on the door let her flinch. A concerned voice could be heard from the outside: "Yuri-san, are you awake?"

Kyoko would not have knocked, so it was no surprise that Mami stood behind it. She sounded as if she was exhausted... but Lilly lacked information to conclude a viable theory yet. Her instinct told her to hide or run and not to respond, but knowledge about the blonde indicated that she would come in anyway... so she could go and face the problem head-on.

"Yes, I am. Come in."

Her voice was really raspy and she quickly cleared her throat while the door remained as it was. "Just a moment."

Quiet steps retreated and Lilly could feel that Mami was going somewhere else... for whatever reason. She returned soon after and entered the room with a wonderful scent accompanying her. The Magical Girl held a small tray that she placed right on the nightstand where the Witch could look at what was on it.

"I figured that you would be hungry by now, so I prepared this a while ago."

A large portion of soup with some bread... just something simple, but to the starving Lilly... it smelled like heaven and she could feel her mouth watering up. Apparently, she was really hungry.

Nonetheless, she was on guard and kept her hands firmly planted in her lap despite her growling stomach. Mami eyed her curiously for a moment before she understood what her wary glance meant. "Oh, right. I did not manage to tell you yesterday, after all."

Now this was it. Had Mortal World's Witch succeeded?

"I... do not think that you are a threat to humans or Magical Girls. Therefore, I have no objections against your presence... um..."

Yellow eyes were lowered as the blonde fiddled with her skirt, but she looked up again upon hearing Lilly sigh. Her fear subsided slowly and joy about her plan having worked set in. "I see. That's good to hear..."

She did not say any more as she swung her legs over the corner of her bed so that she could sit properly before taking the tray onto her legs. "I really did not expect you to change your mind."

While the Witch started to eat slowly, Mami let out a sigh of her own and went to sit on the floor a bit to the side. "I... guess this was because of your influence. I... must have done you wrong quite a lot, but you were still so kind as to help me when I asked."

The choice of words... was off.

Lilly lowered the spoon as her mind went to work, bisecting every bit of what was just said. The only thing Mami did to them in this timeline was threatening her... that was not a lot.

 _Theory... She knows about our time travel... yes or no... why should she?_

Reasons came to mind and made her realise just what kind of mess Kyubey brought them into; the Incubator knew about her being a Witch, so it must have figured out Homura's magic as well. If it did, it might even know about Lilly's origin and thus... her sister told the others that were not yet aware as a means to regain at least a slight bit of control over the flow of information.

"So you know what I told you two days ago."

"...Yes. I think I finally understand. Do not worry, I decided that I do not want to be your enemy for as long as you will not harm humans."

The Witch did not bother to reply and instead continued to eat the soup. It was a simple flavour and perfect for her and her slightly sore throat. When she was done, she put the plate down and wiped her mouth before allowing herself a sigh. Then she rose to her feet and walked past the surprised blonde. "Um... Yuri-san?"

"I feel gross in these pyjamas and will take a shower now and yes, I am well enough to do that by myself, thank you for your concern."

It was really no difficult task to read this girl like an open book. The surprised sound she made indicated that Lilly's theory about that tone she used had been right.

"I... I see. How do you feel?"

"Hm? Fine. My own magic did a good job in curing me."

This was not even a lie. Lilly felt good despite the fact that her heartbeat was still far too fast. That was because of a certain person standing no ten meters behind her while she was taking one of her school uniforms to wear once she was clean again. "Now that I think about it... where is Homura? No, wait... she's walking Madoka home, right?"

When she turned around to leave the room, Mami nodded slightly and followed her, most likely to return to the living room. "I figured that I should get home as well, but I wanted to wait until you woke up. With how it is... I guess I have no problem with Sakura-san staying in the city, either. We already spoke about that."

So much that happened... and of course she had been asleep in this most crucial time... great.

While chiding herself mentally, Lilly nodded at the blonde when they separated. "I see. Anyway, we will see each other more often from now on, I guess. Since there is no need to hide myself anymore, I might join the hunting more frequently. Besides, if you have used up Grief Seeds at hand, give them to me instead of Kyubey. I can use them better than the rat."

"Um... okay. I... think we will see each other at school tomorrow?"

It was about at this point that the Witch stopped paying much attention to the Magical Girl. Kyoko was eyeing them with a raised eyebrow and she already said everything she had to tell the blonde. Nonetheless, Lilly replied with a slight nod. "Maybe. We will see."

She left the two alone with that and went to finally get her shower.

 **. . .**

When Yuri left, Kyoko leant forward and eyed the other fifteen-year-old curiously, but refrained from saying anything. Yet.

She was still in awe that the Witch actually managed to change her former teacher's morals in a matter like this. Mami talked to her a few hours ago... and apologised for being arrogant. They were on rather good terms now... which was all because of that eldritch being in human shape.

Okay, maybe the redhead apologised as well for being a jerk in the past -although that was just to keep up the image of her regretting her behaviour, really- but nonetheless, it was impressive. From the sound of it, the two veterans might be able to work with each other again.

Of course this was nothing Kyoko craved or yearned for, but the prospect of having someone trustworthy to rely on was still nice. Not that she would ever tell anyone about her thoughts in the matter, though.

Therefore, she also did not comment on the slight blush on Mami's cheeks. She just wondered what exactly happened that all the people around her were lesbians all of a sudden. Okay, Homura and Yuri were one thing, that pinky... might have no preferences, that would even suit her character. But Mami of all people?

 _Whatever..._

She had peace of mind while everyone else seemed to be head over heels for someone... good thing, that. Kyoko did not like being so dependant on anyone, even when it did hurt a bit to know that there was no romance for her. On the other hand, she never needed something like that, either. That was a given for a loner like her. Yes, it was.

Although... Yuri might get in trouble because she, too, was in love with Madoka and from how she stated it, she would never reciprocate Mami's affection.

 _Wait a sec... aren't I overthinking this?_

This could easily be the blonde being embarassed about her behaviour from before, there was no definite reason that she fell in love with the Witch... although... it would be ironic if she did.

"You alright, Mami?"

"Hm? Oh... yes, thank you for your concern."

The other veteran rubbed her temples while slowly walking towards the hallway. "Have a good day, Sakura-san. I hope we will see each other tomorrow."

"Sure thing. See you."

She waved the other girl off and leaned backwards with her eyes closed. There was the faint sound of the door going and then it was just her and the noise of the shower... and the traces of Magic around the flat of course.

It felt strange to have a Witch nearby constantly without the need to hunt her. Yuri was definitely one of a kind, especially because she was created by a wish... although... that Homura was a time traveler did come unexpected, even when Kyoko shrugged it off the day before. The redhead took a good portion of the night to think about it and finally went to sleep with a light headache. This kind of thing was a bit too high for her and she decided that it was better for her mind not to think about it too much.

What she did realise, however, was that Yuri could deal with all of them so expertly not only because of her understanding of people, but also because she must have an awful lot of knowledge about them from Homura's time travels.

 _Really, everything's a mess..._

 **. . .**

 _Really, everything is a mess..._

Mami was really not sure what to think anymore. These past weeks completely changed her understanding of the world she lived in. Not only was there a Witch that behaved like a human, this being was also bound to a time traveler that set out on a mission to destroy Walpurgis, the Queen of Witches; who was to appear over Mitakihara at the last day of April.

Everything was so confusing when it was so easy before... but Kyubey lied to her so many times that Mami was not really sad about not being able to live like that again. No, she was happy that it turned out like this. The Akemis saved her from this being's schemes and even preserved her life. She was grateful for that.

Even when the blonde was still shaken by everything she learned, she was confident that she could carry on no matter what was to happen now.

 _I am not alone anymore._

This was what was on her mind for most of the time once she realised it. Kyoko was there again and now there were Homura and Yuri as well as... Sayaka.

 _Oh my...!_

She completely forgot about the blunette over everything that happened... but then again, the younger girl would have found her way around for sure. Nonetheless, she should check on her... but how?

 _Ah, right. She should be in school tomorrow, so I can talk to her then._

That should be fine and reassured like this, the Magical Girl continued on her way home with a happy smile on her face. Yes, everything was a mess... but it was not necessarily a bad one.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

The light tapping of feet on the ground had Kyoko open her eyes and turn her head, only to see a neatly dressed Yuri walk past her and towards the door with a grave expression. That alerted the redhead, but she was waved off before she could even say anything. "Don't worry too much. I just figured that I should go hunting for a while. Tell Homura not to wait with dinner, I might be late."

 **. . .**

"Uh... sure. You think you can manage?"

Her lips curled into a light smirk when she heard that question. Yes, she would be. Her sickness was mostly cured... and this was urgent. She did not turn around though. If she did, her expression might tip Kyoko off. "Yes, I will."

She left the flat with those words. After all, it was unnecessary to inform the redhead that she would not hunt Witches today.

 **. . . .**

 **. . .**

 **. .**

 **.**

I have to apologize, though. You see, I told someone a while ago that this project would have around 200k words upon being finished... now I doubt that this number is still accurate. Therefore, I am sorry for giving out misinformation.

On another sidenote: I have become rather interested in what kind of audience my stories attracted and how, so I am putting up a set of polls over time. The first one is currently found on my profile... and because I forgot to mention it in the last chapter, I am doing it now. I hope you can spare the two minutes it takes to answer the poll.


	25. Last Chance, Miki Sayaka

The Magical Girl was not sure if she should like the situation they were in; Madoka knew everything, absolutely everything. Kyubey completely destroyed every chance they could have at secrecy and now this kind girl would most likely end up contracting again. This must not happen; Homura would not allow it to happen...

The two middle-schoolers were currently on their way towards the pinkette's home; Madoka had stayed the night at the Akemi-residence, so it was about time for her to return to her family. In fact, they were already running behind schedule because her friend also insisted that they took some time off in the city because they were interrupted the day before; this was another reason for her concern: looking at how everything was progressing, they might get far too close to each other. Again...

"Um... Homura-chan?"

She stopped upon hearing her friend call out to her with this concerned voice she knew so well. Seeing that Walpurgis was no two weeks away, this meant that she was worrying about Miki Sayaka on most occasions... this time however, her mind was most likely occupied with everything she learned up until now. That was a good thing in itself because it gave her more time to take care of the idiot, who was most likely on the brink of death already.

"Yes?"

The two stopped a bit to the side of the walkway as a means to not hinder other passerbys, even when there were none around right now. Madoka had a thoughtful look on her face as she eyed the time traveler. "Yuri-chan... she is the Witch that saved us two weeks ago, right?"

So that was what she wanted to talk about. It was to be expected, seeing that there were only so many opportunities to get acquainted with one of the eldritch creatures. Homura nodded and waited for what the pinkette was to say next.

"I... just wonder... it was I... another me... um... who gave her to you, right?"

The question had her sigh inwardly. It was really not good for this kind girl to know this much, but there was hardly anything she could do about it now. "Yes. What is with that?"

Madoka started to guess on everything she did not yet know, which might make things even more troublesome in the end. However, the resignation she felt was nowhere in her voice, even when it might not have changed much to show it. As it was, Homura had a positive outlook on the near future for a change. It might work.

"You see... I think I can guess what kind of wish... 'I' made so... did it come true? Is it good that Yuri-chan is with you now?"

Now this question did catch her off-guard and made her eye the pinkette in surprise. Just where did that come from? She thought about it before herself, but never came to an actual conclusion. Now however, when hearing it from Madoka of all people, the raven-haired girl sighed lightly and nodded again. "Yes. It is."

Of all the presents Madoka ever gave her, Yuri might be the most wonderful besides that kind smile of hers. The very same smile that she displayed right now as well. "That's good then, Homura-chan. I'm glad."

And so was she. On the other hand though, the time traveler understood what it meant that she was so close to the Witch; it meant that they were now bound to each other; should they be separated again, she would barely be able to take it. Of course Homura could soldier on even if that was to happen, but she preferred the other option.

But then again, fate never seemed to work in her favour.

 **. . .**

In another part of the city, a small barrier faded into nothingness when all the Familiars inside it were vanquished. The one that destroyed them leaned on her sword for a moment and had it shatter away. She would not need it for a while now.

While panting heavily, Miki Sayaka wondered for how long she could go on like this before it was over. From how awful she felt, it would not take much longer; she felt so miserable that she just wanted to die. Her field of vision was dark at the corners and her eyelids felt heavy. Her whole body did, actually... bent by the burden she decided to carry by herself.

Then however, her Soul Gem started to spark and glow with an intensity that could only mean one thing: there was a Witch nearby.

And on top of that... the creature was moving her way!

A humourless grin found its way onto her face and remained there as the Magical Girl slowly rose to her feet. This might be the last one to destroy. The heaviness fell from her limbs as if it had never been there; a grim readiness took its place. This would be it.

"Feeling good, are we?", someone spoke up closeby and surprised the girl immensely.

 _That voice..._

There was an unusual smugness and darkness in it, but it was Yuri without doubt. Sayaka looked around, only to find the regular girl sitting on a small railing not far away from her. The blunette did not know how to put it, but the other girl had a really strange vibe to her right now. Additionally, she was someone that she really did not want to talk to right now. Not after everything they found out and were told... she would not even want Madoka around.

"What do you want?"

Her voice was raspy and she did not care for it. On the other hand, Yuri did not seem to mind, either. She just jumped off the railing and landed on the metal floor with a light clinking noise. "Oh, I just wanted to watch your death throes. Don't mind me."

 _...Huh?_

Did... she really just say that? That must have been a mistake, why would Yuri of all people...

 _Wait..._

Sayaka just realised where she sensed the Witch her Soul Gem reacted to. If this was right... then she stood about five meters in front of her... and her purple eyes sparked in deviousness at this very moment. "So you finally noticed?"

This... this could not be!

The Magical Girl slowly narrowed her eyes while never taking them off the slender figure in front of her. There was no doubt that she was indeed a Witch... but how was it possible when she did not even look like one? Could Witches take human form?

"How?"

She just got another smug smile in return while the creature crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And why would I tell you that, you worm? You don't even have the will to fight on over the slightest drawback but demand answers from me? Just how impudent are you?"

Yuri was a Witch, there was no doubt about it. Her choice of words was different from the usual and she still emanated this dreadful aura; she had been lied to. This... this _thing_ snuck into the small circle of friends she had and even brought them in danger. That had to be the explanation and now everything came crashing down while she listened to the eldritch being. Sayaka became angrier with every word and in the end, she simply created another cutlass to point it at Yuri. "Because I kill you if you don't."

There was no response. They just stood there and looked at each other... but Yuri was staying at ease and with a daring smirk. Her whole posture screamed 'Come and try' to the point that the blunette seethed with rage about her arrogance. She charged the Witch with an angry scream and... missed. Yuri simply vanished right before her blade connected and the Magical Girl stumbled into the wall behind with almost full force, which left a slight sting in her shoulder. She ignored it over hearing her opponent's girlish giggling, though; when Sayaka whirled around, she saw that girl leaning at a nearby wall, with a hand in front of her mouth. Her eyes were still dark and held this murderous gaze, though.

 _The same magic as Homura?!_

She moved just as fast as the transfer student. How did she do that?

"You don't stand a chance in the state you are in. I could even offer to save you from your looming death... but let's be honest: neither do I want to, nor would you accept to be saved."

She did not even respond to her words and charged again, trying to just be faster than her strange magic was... only to run into another wall and break her nose. The blunette stumbled backwards while healing the injury and blocking out the pain. Yuri was sitting on the railing again and eyed her with an amused stare while Sayaka was boiling so much that she could barely stop herself from charging again. She would fall down three stories if she did it and her opponent dodged; right now, this was no good. However, the Magical Girl had no words to describe what she felt right now. If she could, she would have strangled Yuri with as much force as possible... but the Witch was too fast for her.

"Oh? No more charging me like the fool you are? You see me surprised; I did not expect you to be smart for a change."

This personality... she was like this ever since Sayaka contracted with Kyubey, but never to that extent. However, the blunette barely cared for the taunting anymore. Once she stopped to think however, apathy took over again; she understood that this opponent was too much for her, that she was defeated. Her anger had no more fuel as she was; the fire that kept her on her feet before died down while the Magical Girl slumped to the ground with her legs shaking. The sword vanished from her hand and Sayaka sighed. "I'm beat... kill me if you want, I don't care anymore."

She just wanted the pain to end...

For whatever reason though, her statement simply made the Witch erupt in laughter. Not this annoying giggle she had before; this time, it was a clear, rather dark sound that had the blunette look up. She was regarded with a mischievous stare. "Killing you? No, definitely not. It would be bad if I actively took part in your end. No, I'm just watching. It will be far more interesting to see how you join my kin... but I can dispose of your corpse if you want. Leave it somewhere closeby, so that your family and friends know that you're dead and not just abducted by some freak. What do you think?"

The mentioning of all those people made her pause for a moment. Why would they care? She was a good-for-nothing and a fool after all, even Sayaka accepted that by now. Yuri just said the same. She did not even have the willpower to get angry at this Witch anymore. Sayaka just sat there and waited for her end. It was alright. These ideals of hers had already been broken anyway, so it was alright to just let it end. To be a hero of justice... that would bring her nothing. Her wish had been wrong and she was about to reap the consequences...

"I guess you didn't hear me before."

A few clinking steps and a lithe hand grabbed her bowtie to pull her up; a moment later, the blunette came face to face with devious purple. "I just said that you will become a Witch. And I doubt that you don't care for that."

Yuri's words rung a bell deep within the fallen Magical Girl and her very soul seemed to jump at the realisation. Sayaka's eyes widened in shock and she simply stared at the abyssal creature right in front of her.

"You're lying!"

The hand let go and she slumped back onto the ground, but blocked out the pain immediately. Her legs were wobbly and she had no way to stand up again. Nonetheless, her eyes filled with tears when Yuri just chuckled and shook her head. "No. I can already smell the curse growing within you... last chance, Miki Sayaka. Do you want to continue as a Magical Girl, or do you prefer to lose yourself and become a Witch?"

She took a step back and held out a hand to her, a promise of safety. Somehow, Yuri shone even in the darkness that clouded the blunette's mind... and she slowly lifted her own hand. Her thoughts were blown away and she knew just one thing: she did not want to die. Not like this, not yet. Her instincts got the better of her and she held onto something that promised her survival.

When their hands touched, Yuri quickly snatched her Soul Gem from her finger and took a look at it; then she displayed the completely black trinket to her. "I really wonder why I'm doing this... whatever."

On the last word, a burning pain flared up in the back of her head, one which she could not block out. Sayaka groaned and grabbed her forehead, closing her eyes and starting to shake stronger.

 _What is this? Does that mean..._

Would she die now?

The pain lingered for a few more seconds before subsiding and once it was gone, the blunette felt... a lot better than before. The dark clouds that hung over her mind were lifted at least a bit and everything did not look as hopeless as before. Sayaka opened her eyes and saw what happened to her Soul Gem; it was now only tainted to about a third and Yuri... held a black orb in her hand. The Witch seemed to measure it with her eyes before putting it in her mouth.

As her soul was given back to her, the Magical Girl took it with disbelief. She was saved, at least for now. She did not have to become a Witch.

 _But... why?_

Why did this being save her? She said before that she would not do it...

"You... I thought you didn't want to... save me?"

Yuri continued to chew on the orb with visible delight before swallowing it and sighing. Then she returned her gaze and raised an eyebrow. "And I didn't expect you to accept to be saved. Both of us apparently changed our minds, so be happy that I did."

The Witch turned around to look at the setting sun while Sayaka got to her feet. "I just hope that this was no mistake. Go back home and sleep... and take a shower, would you? If you're not in school tomorrow, I will come and kill you wherever you are. The same goes if you decide to tell anyone about the part with the Witches."

 **. . .**

She did hear the idiot's steps behind her, but paid no mind to it. Her thoughts were racing around another topic that took most of her mental capacity right now: just why did she go out of her way to save that girl?

Lilly arrived at this place for the sole reason of seeing to the death of Miki Sayaka. Never did she plan on trying to stop this inevitable process. Why did she change her mind?

 _Maybe it was the surprise..._

She really did not expect the blunette to take her hand. This one human had always rejected help in this state, so maybe... maybe she simply wanted to give her a chance. But... this behaviour was human. Lilly was not human, she must not be. She was superior.

It was a small existencial crisis, she realised; had she become soft over her success with Mami? Was she loosing her roots as the creature of curses she was and wanted to be?

But then again... was this not also a great success? One that wanted to die accepted help when she never had before; it was unprecedented. Thus, Lilly figured she should see it as an achievement instead of a moment of weakness. Having Miki Sayaka around longer might become fruitful, even when she already figured her to be a lost cause from the very first moment.

Mortal World's Witch suppressed the sigh forming in her throat and straightened her back. Turning around revealed a wide-eyed Magical Girl looking at her with an expression that could be best described as dull. Her Soul Gem was a lot better, but still not in good shape; however, the girl was most likely still shocked what happened. Still, seeing her standing there made the dark mood Lilly had been in for the deed vanish completely; or rather she decided to hide her actual personality away again. Right now was not the time to snark at this being, not after she just escaped certain death and worse.

"Any reason to stare at me like that?"

The question was justified, seeing that Sayaka was not doing anything else. She just kept looking... at least the curses were no longer dominant in her Soul Gem. Still, taint continued to grow in this blue, egg-shaped gem the Magical Girl still held in her hands. It was already of a murky colour and the Witch went to clean it once more while rolling her eyes. This idiot was a handful... but at least she did not object or try to pull away; okay, the last part could also be because Lilly was more careful in not doing anything that brought pain to Sayaka.

Upon pulling her hand away, the eldritch being heard an almost inaudible sigh and the blunette in front of her lowered her gaze. "Sorry... I'm just..."

Completely out of it. Lilly saw that. Still, there were many thoughts to be considered, especially because this meant a major shift in their plans; everything looked better at once. With four Magical Girls at hand, even when the addition was a newcomer with little potential, their chances became better once again. On the other hand... it might not be a good idea to leave Sayaka to herself. As much as she disliked that, the Witch had to act accordingly now that she made her decision.

 _Or I could just smash her Soul Gem now. She would never see it coming._

 _..._

 _Hm. Would that actually be a good thing to do?_

The thought presented itself just like that. If Miki Sayaka turned out to be more of a burden than she was worth, Lilly could still kill her. Acting rash like this was unhealthy, so the thought was pushed back to be reexamined later on.

Nonetheless, this left her with the task of walking the girl home. Which in turn made her mood the slightest bit sour again after it grew so bright over her success.

 **. . .**

When they saw each other off in front of the Kaname-residence, Homura was strangely content. Everything worked out so far, even when she did not like that Madoka was close to the stage she was in in the last timeline.

However, their short moment of tranquility was interrupted by a concerned Junko coming out of the house with her gaze fixed on the two girls. It was a strange expression the woman had in her eyes... did something happen?

"Sorry to interrupt, but has either of you seen Sayaka-chan today? Her parents called a while ago because she didn't come home."

And to further ruin the moment, a certain voice called out in her head, tired and... accompanied by a lot of satisfaction: _'Homura?'_

Something definitely happened.

The time traveler slightly shook her head to answer Junko's question first while Madoka's expression already changed into a deeply concerned one. "I didn't. However, I think I know someone who did... I will give her a call later and tell you when she knows where Miki-san might be. I have to leave now, though. My sister is still sick after all."

She bowed to the two Kanames and went off, completely ignoring any kind of glance they might throw after her.

 _"What happened? And why are you out of bed?"_

Homura was not even sure which of those questions she found more important. She just asked away, seeing that no one else could hear her anyway. Lilly on her part responded with but a sigh at first. However, it was accompanied by even more satisfaction with some surprise and a sliver of curiousity mixed into it.

 _'Um... would you believe me if I told you that I just saved Miki Sayaka from falling into despair?'_

This... was not what she expected to hear in this very moment. It surprised the time traveler to the point that she missed a beat and stumbled... well aware of the fact that she was still in full view of both Madoka and her mother. However, neither of them should think anything of that, so she just went on. Lilly said that she saved the one person that always died around this time of the month and there was no reason to doubt her word. So this meant that her sister just achieved something Homura never could... again.

 _"I would have a hard time believing it, had it not been said in my own voice and in my mind."_

Which was about the truth. Lilly had a thing for tasteless jokes, but she rarely ever lied. There was need to anyway... because she could go around the truth expertly. Remembering this made the time traveler pause and consider; her counterpart just said that Miki Sayaka was saved from falling into despair. Could this be taken as an indicator that the blunette had not become a Witch but died otherwise?

 _"Just to make sure... you're not trying to make 'I killed her' sound less serious, right?"_

Strangely, the response she got was a hearty laughter. _'Ah, so you picked up on the wording; sorry for that, it just happened.'_

Her sister kept quiet for a moment before continuing, not long enough for the Magical Girl to consider what exactly was meant now. _'No, the girl is not dead. I decided to give her the chance to save herself and actually expected her to refuse... well... surprise surprise, she accepted. I'm walking her home for now... and I guess I will keep an eye on her until tomorrow. So you don't need to wait with dinner... just go home and get some rest. I slept far too long anyway.'_

This brought a small smile to her lips. Hearing Lilly as lively as this at least reassured her that her sister was indeed in good shape. The human-shaped Witch would not wake up when the time traveler checked on her earlier, so this eased her worries quite a bit. By now, Homura had already surrendered to her fondness regarding Homulilly; neither of them would let go of the other, this was now certain. Additionally, she also knew that her sister would not give up on her current course of action... the Magical Girl did not even think that she should, though. It was better to keep an eye on Miki Sayaka, especially when she was as unstable as now. There was no way the blunette did not take everything that might have happened easily. She had to at least know that Lilly was a Witch; mixing this with the fact that said Witch saved her life, her views would lie in ruins by now.

 _"I see. Take care, though; neither of us can predict what she might do."_

After a moment of consideration, Homura added something else as an afterthought: _"Besides, I will leave the leftovers in the fridge for you. There will be plenty, so come back home before going to school."_

This conversation was about over and they both knew it, so she figured that at least this much should be said.

 _'If you say so, Onee-chan.'_

It came with a teasing note, but she did not fall for it this time and simply ignored the attempt. Lilly understood what that meant just as well and closed their connection; with it, the Witch's feelings left Homura's head as well. Now she knew what happened.

 _Okay. We have Miki Sayaka in a condition that's not critical. I really should be more surprised, shouldn't I?_

It was comparable to a major miracle for the Magical Girl to choose life over death in this stage; still, Lilly made it seem as if all of this was done without much effort at all. Perhaps, her positive outlook on the near future might even be justified.

On the other hand, Homura noticed she was not doing all that much overall. Yes, she was hunting with Mami constantly and provided her Witch with information, but the overall plan had mostly been Lilly's idea. To make things worse, it was also her sister who steadied the blond veteran and won her over; the same went for Kyoko.

Which meant that Homura did almost nothing in comparison.

 _Mhm... I guess the part with Kyoko was mostly because she needed some space to experiment... and Mami was even more of an accident..._

Still, the fact remained. Homura had been relying on Lilly so much that she did not even notice, seeing that they did most of the early work together and kept their efforts coordinated ever since. She had no excuse for that... except for the fact that she paved the way.

It was difficult for the time traveler; she preferred to react to events whereas her Witch forced others in this position. Lilly went on the offensive whenever Homura would have been defensive, pushing the Magical Girl along as she did. She was pushed into working with Mami, which allowed her to bond with the blonde; this was consequently used by Lilly to reach the current state. Additionally, her being around Madoka, Sayaka and the other veteran gave her Witch time to set foot in Kazamino, seeing that there was no need for both of them to observe the regulars at this point.

Looking back at all of this, the middle-schooler realised: it was not that Homulilly did all the work; it was that they worked in tandem. Her impulsive and creative sister secured the basis and the more stoic as well as patient Homura built on that. As the Witch could understand those around her better, she had far less trouble to find a good moment to swoop in and reap the results.

Relieved purple continued to watch the surroundings for potential trouble. There was just the occasional passerby, nothing happened; and while the time traveler walked by the small river flowing right amidst the streets of Mitakihara, she was quite content with how everything turned out so far.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

It just made no sense.

Here she was; Miki Sayaka, heroic fighter for justice... walked home by a Witch of all things. Yuri made no attempt to taunt her now, she did not even speak at all. Whatever it was that kept the eldritch being busy, the blunette was grateful. She needed some time to get all of this through her head just as well; not only had she chickened out of what she actually intended at the last second, she even gave in to a Witch. This did not sit well with her, not at all; however, Sayaka understood that Yuri was too strong an opponent to fight right now... in fact, did she even want to fight her?

 _Despite everything she said, she saved my life..._

This had to have at least some meaning, right? But she was also a Witch, a monster that ate people. As a Magical Girl the middle-schooler felt obliged to just get this over with and kill Yuri... and yet, the weight of this decision was heavy.

This girl had come and irritated as well as scared both her and her best friend. Then she went and just told them what to do, although neither Sayaka nor Madoka were injured even once. They could stay safe and sound.

And this was exactly what bothered her. Yuri had grown more unsympathetic ever since she formed the contract with Kyubey, so Sayaka paid not much mind to her. They rarely even saw each other afterwards to begin with... and then this Kyoko-girl waltzed in.

Now here she stood, with no real idea what to do.

"This should be it. You can walk the rest alone."

In fact, they stood just a single turn and a few buildings away from the one she lived in. A confused glance from blue eyes met slightly annoyed purple; were they really already there? Strange...

However, this was still so unbelievably weird. Should she just go and let the Witch have her way? Should she not at least say something, give a witty comeback or anything of the like?  
On the other hand though, Sayaka did not have a witty comeback. Just a headache from trying to make sense of all this despite her tiredness. She barely slept last night after all, although she did not remember much of it.

"Um... kay..."  
She kept quiet for a moment and then decided to to at least mind her manners for a change. "See you around... I guess."

The eldritch being merely raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Yes, that we will."

The blunette was not even angry about the rather harsh dismissal; she just took it and wandered off. Sleeping and thinking were what she needed to do now.


	26. She Should be Fine Now

Silence greeted her when she opened the door. No one inside just as usual. This time however, Mami was completely aware that there was also no one with her. Kyubey had been by her side in the past, Kyoko and Homura as well... but right now, she was alone.

It did not manage to change her mood that much, but the blonde came to realise just how big her place actually was. She slowly closed the door behind her and went to sit down at the table before placing her Soul Gem on it. The trinket... her soul emanated a slightly tainted, yellow gleam while she tried to see something within its depths.

 _So this is what I am._

It was a calm thought, not as desperate as it had been before. She came to realise that the situation was not as bad as she told herself. After all, she was still alive and -more importantly- there were people that endured this fate with her. Mami was glad not to be alone anymore; she did not like this solitude at all and if she could, she would have tried to get the Akemis to stay at her place. Unfortunately though, she doubted that they would accept that. However, they were now friends and on top of that, the blonde even managed to finally have a heart-to-heart with Kyoko. They were far from becoming as close as they were so long ago, but at least they could now stay in the same room without starting an argument.

Mami was a bit startled by how cold and uncaring this once gentle girl had become at first; but then again, it was not a real surprise; to see it play out in front of her just hammered it into the blonde's head a few days ago. However, she did notice that the redhead still had a few of those soft sides hidden deep within her.

The Magical Girl sighed and returned the Soul Gem to her hand. She really should start making dinner.

Her ringlets bounced a bit when she rose to her feet and the blonde became aware that despite being alone, she was not sad. No. Mami was looking forward to Monday, knowing that there would be people waiting for her at school.

It made her feel warmer than she did for a long time.

 **. . .**

The view was nice, she had to give Mitakihara that.

Kazamino was slightly more of a rural city and while it did have a few interesting places, most of them were not to her taste. This, however, was strangely touching for Kyoko; a river floating in between two streets, the gradients on both sides covered with fresh, green grass and all those shimmering, new buildings around while the setting sun was reflected on the water. This little bit of nature within the city... it felt somewhat like how she felt right now.

Sakura Kyoko neglected her own feelings for quite some time, not caring for others and only for herself. Knowing that working with others always meant straying from her own path helped her with keeping the loneliness away and the trauma definitely helped in that regard... she was normally not that much of a cynic, but it did seem justified right now. Talking with Mami like she did this morning made her aware of that; she wanted company. That was why she had so little trouble accepting Yuri into her territory even when she was a Witch. That girl accepted and treated her like she actually wanted to be treated, not as an actual friend or comrade but simply as someone that was there. They talked to each other and ate together a few times; it had always been a friendly air around them.

Kyoko did not believe that she actually understood the Witch. In fact, she fairly doubted it. However, they had a synergy and got along, so she did not care. Yuri might feel the same about her.

 **. . .**

 _I hope Sayaka-chan is alright..._

Concerned pink was directed at the slowly darkening sky. Night would fall soon and normally, she would take one last look at her homework. Today however, the pinkette just could not bring herself to stop worrying over her missing friend. Homura said that she would help finding her, but still... Madoka was afraid. Yuri made it completely clear just how dangerous being a Magical Girl was, so when her friend was nowhere in sight... did that mean...

A violent shake of her head had her now open hair flying around while the girl shut the thought out of her mind. This was something she would not even think about.

It was at this point that her cellphone made itself noticeable and she quickly took it from her nightstand, hoping against all odds that it was Sayaka calling. Her heart sunk ever so slightly when she saw that it was Homura instead, but she hoped nonetheless.

"Homura-chan?"

The other side did not answer for a moment but when she did, it took a heavy burden from her chest: "Lilly found her. She should be fine now... and on her way home."

So she really did find Sayaka... hearing this made the pinkette sigh in relief. "Thank goodness... I have to thank Yuri-chan next time I see her."

The answer was punctuated by an almost inaudible sigh of the Magical Girl, which had Madoka smile. "It will be enough to give her a few cookies, if you insist."

Those two really were close, even when they did not show it with others around. Yuri... was a Witch, after all. A Witch created from Homura. And also a person that could bring out a completely different side of the raven-haired girl; she never heard snarky remarks coming from her when it was about anyone but Yuri. "I will see what I can do."

Her giggle did not bring out a response, but she could guess that her friend... girlfriend?... friend would be pretty tired by now and the pinkette did not want to impose on her much longer. However, there was one last thing she wanted to ask. "Um... Homura-chan?"

Her heart started to beat a bit faster as she thought about what she was to say. Was it really alright to bother the other girl so much? Mami said that Magical Girls did not have much time... but if she did not ask, there was no chance at all.

"Um... I was wondering... c-could we... go out again sometime soon?"

Madoka's voice became a bit higher towards the end and she chided herself for being so jumpy internally.

The response took a few seconds and she started to become afraid about it. What if she was too overwhelming?

"Of course."

When the indifferent voice replied at last, the pinkette let out a breath she did not realise she was holding. Her lips curled upwards and only barely managed to stop herself from returning a happy squeal. She was no five-year-old.

Nonetheless, Madoka was glad about it. She really wanted to spend more time with Homura; but at the same time, she was not sure whether it was alright to take up so much of the Magical Girl's rare free time.

"I... I see. Thank you, Homura-chan. Um..."

Her cheeks flushed slightly while she wondered about what to say. Should she just end the conversation here? But would that not be rude? Why was she so unsure about what to say?

On top of that, there was also this other topic... she was not able to think about it carefully before. Homura was a time traveler, yes... but Madoka still barely knew the girl, even when it was different the other way around. She wanted to know her better, yes... but at the same time, it felt surreal to her. She was Kaname Madoka and another Kaname Madoka had been the one to become friends with Akemi Homura first. Were they the same or not? Identical in appearance and character... was that enough to be the same person?

Her head hurt.

"Is there... anything else?"

Her newest friend's voice cut through the thoughtful silence and had her flinch. She completely forgot that she was on the phone.

"Um, no! I'm sorry! Um... uh... Good night, Homura-chan."

She should at least say that, the pinkette figured while waiting for the other girl's response; which she got a moment later: "I see. Good night, Madoka."

Her friend hung up and she sighed in confusion. It felt a bit strange to interact with this stoic Magical Girl after all. She did not particularly mind that there were no more honorifics when Homura adressed her, though; it felt somehow familiar...

 **. . .**

Previous experiences with humans indicated that their emotions -and by extension their magic- were capable to overcome logic when reaching their peak. The reason for that was still unknown and might never become completely understandable to them. The telepathic scan of Kaname Madoka made it clear to Kyubey, though; a moment like this had arisen again.

While not particularly dangerous to the plan, it was always an interesting phenomenon to observe. Akemi Homura was jumping from timeline to timeline in her self-assigned quest to save Madoka and thereby wound the fate of all of them around her, hence the girl's unprecedented potential. A side-effect of those timelines winding around Madoka was that fragments of her alternate selfs' memories entered her mind, becoming less and less influential the farther the respective timeline dated back. The Incubator had no direct access to those memories, but the resulting reactions and thoughts from the Madoka of its own timeline were enough to make an estimated guess.

In fact, Kyubey was pondering whether it would serve its purpose to talk to the girl now. So far, the majority of arguments spoke against it and once its analysis of the situation was complete, this became one of the stronger voices against chiming into the human's train of thoughts. Akemi Yuri and Akemi Homura managed to make Madoka distrust it to the point that she would not believe any word it spoke without asking them about it first.

Patience was necessary right now. The opportunity Kyubey needed would present itself rather soon.

 **. . .**

"Sayaka!"

When slender arms wound around her and she felt the warmth of another human being surrounding her, the Magical Girl snapped out of her stupor for the first time ever since she left Mami's place. This was her mother holding her tight, rocking back and forth while tears stained her shoulder. "We were so worried about you... where have you been?"

After a moment of taking in the warmth, Sayaka raised her own arms and returned the hug. She never realised how good that felt... however, her voice would still be raspy. She did not drink anything for the last day and was incredibly thirsty; the thought never crossed her mind before, but once it did, this feeling suddenly returned... as did a strong hunger.

"Um... I... had to think about something."

This was about the only thing she could say, really. Nonetheless, it prompted her mother to finally pull her into their flat and close the door. They reluctantly let go of each other and a sorrowful gaze fell down on her; Sayaka knew that she did not make a convincing argument, but she was also too tired to try better.

When the daughter said nothing, she was given a sigh and a nod. "Alright, that will have to do for now... we will talk about it tomorrow, though. Do you..."

She was interrupted by a loud grumbling, which had both blunettes look down. Then a smile appeared on her mother's face. "I guess that answers my question. Go wash your face, I will make you something to eat in the meantime."

Sayaka did as she was ordered without much more reaction than a small nod. It became more difficult to walk properly in her warmer home, but the Magical Girl managed. Then she made the mistake of raising her head high enough to take a look into the mirror. A dull gaze greeted her, accompanied by unexpectedly pale skin and unkempt, messy hair.

With a few tired movements, the Magical Girl turned on the water and went to wash her hands first; the warm stream rolling over her hands felt good. After using some soap to clean away the dirt, Sayaka went to splash a handful of water into her face, rubbing around a bit afterwards. Now she felt at least a bit more awake... and a little better than before. But she was still thirsty and hungry... and now that her senses started to work properly again, she realised that her underwear was clinging tightly to her skin, as did the shirt she wore under her sweater. For a moment, the middle-schooler considered to just take that off now; then however, she decided to wait until after her meal... which left her with the thirst and running water. Without much thinking, Sayaka bowed her head and started to drink right from the stream, feeling the lukewarm liquid run over her tongue and through her throat. The lump she felt there went away rather quickly and at least this desire was satiated for now... but it brought another realisation upon her.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

So after using the other installments of their bathroom, Sayaka returned to the kitchen while feeling much better than before. She was still tired and hungry, but it was still an improvement. Her mother was already waiting at the table, with a plate and a glass already placed there. She just made a sandwich, but this would be alright. The girl did not feel like eating much anyway.

Still, there was no one else around as she wolfed down the food... her father was most likely still working. It did not matter much right now...

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Over this whole time, the whole mess she was in right now did not even cross her mind once. The thought returned the moment her head hit the pillow. Her clothes were scattered on the floor and the blunette did not bother putting on pyjamas; she was too tired for that.

 _Ah, right... what should I do?_

The question had her mind flare back to life, although for little more than a few moments. With her Soul Gem glowing in a healthy blue on the nightstand, she wondered. Yuri said she would become a Witch if the trinket was completely black... that was not a lie, right? Even when she was still wary about everything else the Witch said back then, this one thing was most likely true. In these moments, she showed her true colours; there was nothing to hide because Sayaka would die anyway, right? Yes, the bad guys always liked to gloat.

But she lived... and she knew what Yuri really was. It presented itself clearly now; this being was a Witch, a Magical Girl's sworn enemy. Homura was definitely working with her and this Sakura-girl might do so as well, so she had to warn Mami.

With this thought however, the blunette drifted to sleep. Her eyes closed despite her best efforts to stay awake and think.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

It was a cold sensation in her mind that had Sayaka wake up with a small start. She did not sit up, just stared out of the window for a moment. The moon stood still high, it was the middle of the night. But what woke her? She was still tired and maybe just moments from dozing off again...

 _'Sayaka!'_

And now she was wide awake. That voice was unmistakeable; it made her now alert mind return to what she thought before falling asleep. "K-Kyubey? What..."

Still, she only got out this confused question before the little feline already continued: _'Please be discrete, Akemi Yuri is still watching you.'_

This had the blunette freeze up at once. Her body went stiff and the words died in her throat. The Witch was watching her?

Still, Kyubey continued to speak despite her sudden reaction. She could not even see where he was, but Yuri was not visible, either.

 _'She kept observing you ever since you entered this building, but she seems to have grown tired as the hours passed. I slipped inside from the other side, so she doesn't know I am here.'_

This calmed her at least somewhat. Kyubey was there, so he would definitely help her with this. The Magical Girl was sure that he would also know what to do about this 'becoming a Witch'-thing... but that could wait. Carefully, Sayaka started to whisper.

"Um... okay. Where are you?"

 _'Hiding under your bed. It doesn't matter, though; I can hear you clearly.'_

That made sense. It was about the only place one could not really see from the window, which she now realised had no curtains drawn in front of it. She completely forgot that and her mother apparently failed to notice.

"Okay... listen, Kyubey: you have to quickly tell Mami-san that Yuri is actually a Witch. I'm sure she..."

 _'I already did.'_

"Huh?"

It was mostly surprise that made her utter this sound. Sayaka did not expect to hear this response over her plan of having Kyubey deliver the message. She still did not have the older girl's number, so this was the only way she figured might work. But Mami already knew... with a start, Sayaka's eyes wandered over to her window. She just turned around to face it, trying her best to give off a sleeping expression. Did what Kyubey just said mean that Yuri killed Mami already?

 _'Unfortunately, Mami apparently decided to take Yuri's side. I don't know what exactly she was told, but she has a firm stance in that regard. If you seek help from her, I doubt that you will find any.'_

His words made the girl's expression fall. Her respected senior of all people was working with a Witch. This made no sense, not at all... they were enemies, so... why?

She did not find a good answer to this question. Kyubey kept quiet for a while as well... and then he added something that made a lot more sense: _'I can't completely rule out that the use of magic led to this outcome. Mami was surely influenced by Akemi Yuri; and this influence will only intensify from now on.'_

This sounded worse and worse... but still, Sayaka was here. She was still herself, so she could save her senior. Yes, that was what she had to do; which meant that Akemi Yuri had to die.

 _She might look human, but there's a Witch underneath. It's not murder._

Although the fact that she had to kill something that looked and spoke like a human being might make this difficult... still, she had to. No matter her own thoughts; for Mami. Once Sayaka killed the Witch, the others would be free and she would have saved the day. This sounded good to her. It sounded like what a hero would do; and she still desired to be one.

"So... it's just you and me?"

Kyubey had kept quiet again, most likely to give her some time to think. Now that she asked him a question, he responded instanteneously: _'It seems so. Do you have an idea what to do?'_

Now she had to pause again. An idea what to do... what could she do? Her preferred method of fighting so far was charging the enemy before they could charge her. It worked well so far...

However, Yuri expertly outsmarted her; this one was just too quick to dodge her attacks.

Of course Sayaka did not think herself dumb; this did not mean that she did not know about her lack in good strategies, though; she left the planning in a fight to Mami and Homura so far, seeing that those two were just so much better at it than her. Now however, this proved to be a big problem. She could not come up with a good plan.

"Uh... well... I kinda don't. You?"

There was only one thing she knew: it had to be as soon as possible, maybe even tonight. This Witch had to go and quick.

 _'Mhm... this is difficult. Seeing that Akemi Yuri is Homura's Witch, they share the same time-commanding magic. No frontal attack would work as long as she knows it's coming; otherwise, she will get out of reach before you hit her.'_

Time-commanding? So they always teleported around by just making themselves so much faster that none of them could keep up? That fit the idea, although the concept sounded a bit strange to Sayaka. Still, she tried her best to keep it in mind. Knowing this, there might be something she could do... but this would be really difficult. Nonetheless, she would definitely try.

 _'However, there might be a way...'_

For Mami, she had to at least make the attempt.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Waiting was boring.

Lilly always thought so, but it never bothered her all that much before. Okay, she could at least watch Madoka on most occasions; that might be the difference.

However, it was cold, she was more than a bit tired and also immensely bored. She still wondered if savin Miki Sayaka's life had been worth it; with what the blunette knew now, she could tear a big hole into the whole plan. If she kept quiet however...

 _I should really stop. Only time will tell..._

Her train of thought was going in circles for a while now, returning the same result every time; this was not healthy, not even for her. Still, her paranoia did not let this particular topic off the hook; of all the Magical Girls that might become troublesome, this one was the most likely. She had to be careful around her at all times... and should probably consider to just stay out of her sight completely. However, staying away might... was that movement there?

Actually, she thought she saw something before but dismissed it as her mind playing tricks. Now she was sure, though; the blue flash of her classmate transforming was definitely not something she imagined.

Now the questions was why she transformed.

Lilly straightened her back and blinked a few times. Some joints popped and the short rush of pain was quickly followed by relief over sitting straight again. Her legs had been dangling over the edge of the roof she sat on so far, but she pulled them upwards now; following that, Lilly continued to observe what the Magical Girl was doing. It was a nuisance that she could barely feel anything emanating from them at all. Regular humans as well as Witches emitted their emotions freely, but of course the one actually dangerous group of people had it mostly contained. She could not guess a Magical Girl's intentions by her scent, it was just not possible.

Sayaka on her part went to open her window and quickly slipped out into the night; she did not seem fazed by the chilly air that had Lilly shiver for quite a while. Her aura was suppressed so that the Magical Girl would not know about her presence; thus, she had nothing to block off the cold.

Her classmate took a jump upwards and landed on top of the building adjacent to the Witch's current position.

 _I guess that was my cue..._

She did tell her to rest and go to school tomorrow; if this girl was doing something stupid now, this would definitely have consequences.

Time came to a stop while Lilly released magic from her heart; not just one heartbeat resonated with her eldritch power, she decided to use three. This way, she should be able to fight back an attempt on her life even when the fool got a hold of her. She jumped over to the other roof and got into position five steps behind the blunette. Enough room to quickly step back if necessary.

Then Lilly had the flow of time resume and waited for the girl in front of her to make another few steps before apparently noticing the strong glow her Soul Gem emanated. When she turned around, curious purple met with surprisingly unreadable blue. That in itself was unusual enough, although it could be explained with what happened before. For now, the Witch would give Sayaka the benefit of the doubt, which was why she just nodded at her attire. "Going somewhere at this time?"

The Magical Girl nodded in return. "Yeah, I need some fresh air to think."

Still, in the middle of the night sounded like a bad time for a walk; especially when she could use her way to school to think about whatever was bothering her. This did sound suspicious, but it was not unheard of. Lilly sighed and tilted her head. "I wonder what would be so important that you can't wait until dawn."

"Who knows?"

That came with a challenging smile and shrug, but the Witch ignored this taunt. She merely shrugged herself and motioned for the girl to continue. "It wouldn't surprise me if you had no idea, either. Just go ahead, I will tag along just in case you're planning to run off."

Just as she ignored the Magical Girl before, Lilly was ignored now. Sayaka just started to walk in an even pace, the eldritch being following in about the same speed.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

They walked around for quite a while, jumping from one roof to the next every few minutes or so. These roofs were not monitored, so there was no problem in just letting the blunette roam as she pleased.

There was no attempt to get closer to her, no even slightly drawn weapon, nothing. The Magical Girl seemed really intent on keeping the peace... that was a good start. Still, Lilly would save the explanations on their situation for tomorrow, seeing that it was better to have Mami confirm everything she said.

A lone Familiar passed by not far away, but she decided to let it be. Due to her aura right behind her, the other girl was most likely unable to sense it anyway. Even the veterans would have a lot of trouble with attempts like these... however, now she really wondered what was going on in this justice-loving mind. What was Sayaka thinking about?

The current situation was one possibility, her descent into despair was another. Lilly even considered that her classmate was pondering over what to tell her parents once they asked where she was. Actually, it would make sense for her to consider this last one as early as possible.

Then her eyes fell onto a patch of white fur in the distance and the thought was discarded. Kyubey was something she preferred not to see around right now, really. The rat might try to manipulate her companion into attacking, which she really did not need tonight.

The Magical Girl took a few more steps before noticing that she stopped; once she did notice however, Sayaka turned around and cast a quizzical glance her way. "Is something wrong?"

She just shook her head and suppressed a sigh. Her senses were tingling a bit over the cold air despite the magic protecting her at least slightly; knowing that Kyubey was watching did not make her feel any safer. In fact, the Witch tensed up the little bit she had been relaxing over seeing that nothing happened with the blunette.

"Okay, there's seriously something... wait."

Before the girl had even finished, she seemed to have seen something; she went over to the edge and looked at... Kyubey. The Incubator was lying there and seemed to be asleep; this could only be a feint, but one could never know. Maybe it was just a copy it left lying around and forgot about... or it wanted to try a trick, but that was not its style. However, it was also not its style to have more than one body active at the same location. Looking back to where she saw it before, the creature was gone... or maybe... there was still a speck of white there, so maybe it was just something else she mistook for Kyubey? That might be possible, considering her state.

Still, this situation was off. Something was not right. And it did not get better from Sayaka suddenly drawing her cutlass. Lilly immediately took a step back just in case, but there was no sign of the Magical Girl turning onto her. "Okay... I don't know what is happening, but I don't like it."

 **. . .**

This became more and more difficult. Kyubey told her exactly what to do, but it was just something she was not really good at; acting was never Sayaka's strength, so she really had to do her best to keep it together. At least she managed to keep her eyes away from Yuri; Kyubey told her that this would give it away at once... okay, she did have her back turned on the other girl for almost the whole time.

But oh, it was so difficult to not just go and try to attack her anyway. Still, the blunette held out. She knew this was a decoy Kyubey put there, so she did not have to worry about her friend. He would be fine and out of reach.

In fact, the Witch came closer to examine this decoy while Sayaka kept her gaze on their surroundings, taking a step here and a step there...

 _'Just wait a bit longer.'_

Additionally, Kyubey instructing her all the way helped as well. She never realised how good he was at planning; well, too bad for Yuri who started to poke the decoy with her fingers. One of the ears was raised and lowered, then she took the limp body up and looked more closely. All the while, Sayaka went a bit further around.

"Hm... the structure seems to be the same, so why is this body inactive? That doesn't fit Kyubey at all."

She was tensing up now, taking a small step closer to her target. She still had to wait, but Sayaka knew that she only had one strike. If this one did not count, everything was lost. Probably the whole city, if not more. No, this would not happen.

"What do you mean?"

Still, she figured she should say something, if only to distract her some more.

 **. . .**

Something was not right. Lilly cast a glance backwards and noticed how Sayaka's hands were clenched around her sword's hilt; the girl was surprisingly nervous about the situation. Well, that was nothing Mami's tutoring could prepare her for. The Witch cast her gaze back at the apparent corpse.

"I doubt that it would just let a malfunctioning body lying around. And even if it did, why did it malfunction?"

Something about this was definitely off. She just could not determine what exactly it was.

 _Wait. Did I make sure Kyubey has not snuck in her bedroom?_

Actually, she thought that she did. Thinking back, she was sure that the rat did not go through the window; seeing that it had yet to display the ability of going through anything thicker than glass, she should be good.

It was a burning pain in her back that made her realise her mistake: she forgot to watch out for Sayaka. This was about the last rational thought Lilly had before a wave of overwhelming fear and pain hit her mind.

"I don't care what you look like or that you saved me... you're still a Witch, so you have to die."

Those words were uttered with determination while the eldritch being could only stare on the reddened piece of metal extending out of her chest; she could feel the wetness of fresh blood trickle down her stomach. Despite the fact that the blade was still lodged into her body and not much blood was flowing, the pain radiated through her whole body and had her shake violently; her lung had been pierced as well, she could feel the liquid flowing upwards through her throat. The taste of iron filled Lilly's nose, bringing with it even more fear; this was too much, she could not think anymore. Everything was pain and fear and blood, so she did the only thing her instincts told her to do.

She leashed out.

With a surprised sound, the Magical Girl was thrown backwards... and while the force of her uncontrolled attack had the desired effect of getting the threat out of her range, it also yanked the cutlass out of her body... hard. Lilly screamed in pain and clasped her stomach, then she stopped time in the very same moment and went to the ground. Her heart was still intact, thank goodness; she had it beat faster, release more magic and did not pay attention to anything else. She could not, because everything else was pain. The Witch spit and a mouthful of blood joined the growing puddle below her. She just wanted to ease it up, however this could be done. So she told her body to heal.

Homulilly's magic went to work, knitting the severed tissue back together from the inside out in a speed she did not know she was capable of. The pain subsided slowly and rational thought returned to her mind bit by bit, all the while supported by fear. She pumped as much energy as possible in the damaged area around her lungs and waited until it was fully healed. She had no idea how long it took, but it did not matter anyway. Once she was healed up, the eldritch being looked up from her position; her hands were already on the ground, so she pushed herself backwards to get to her feet. Due to using either too much or too less force -she could not really tell due to the dizziness that took a hold of her mind-, this only resulted in her tumbling a few meters before getting a hold of herself. Her head felt far too light and her field of vision was blurry from tears she never realised she cried.

But she stood. And her wounds were healed. However, lone drops of the red liquid still dripped down from her skirt. Looking down, Lilly found herself soaked in her own blood. Then she saw Miki.

The girl was frozen mid-impact, apparently still not understanding what had happened.

The pain was gone, but her fear still resonated within her. Now however, Lilly decided to give in to another emotion she felt boiling close to the surface: anger.

It only took her a few steps until she stood next to the blunette. She just had to be careful not to drip any blood on her, that much remained clear to her despite the fury that took a hold of her as she went. She carefully loosened the Soul Gem from the Magical Girl's belt and took it into her hands, careful not to draw Sayaka into her time stop. No, she did not want this.

Small lips curled into a weak smile while she tumbled away and raised the hand holding this soul. She would not let it remain. This girl would not survive.

Without ending the time-stop, Lilly simply put the shining crystal into her mouth and cracked it open with her teeth, feeling the life vanish out of it. However, she did not let it dissipate; instead, the Witch consumed it all. Every bit of Miki Sayaka would become fuel to her magic. It felt unbelievably satisfying to destroy this lowly being so thoroughly.

Her magic wore off and time resumed, thus the limp -and suddenly stark naked- body finally fell to the ground and stayed there.

Lilly closed her eyes for a moment and continued to crush the small pieces of crystal with her teeth until there was not much of it left. So full of strange feelings and thoughts... how pathetic.

The chewing came to an end and Lilly swallowed the paste formed from the crushed crystal, her own saliva and the few traces of blood that remained in her mouth, feeling the mush of liquids and crushed soul going downwards; while she did, the eldritch being had her Grief Seed release some more of her sparse reserves and sighed once more. That situation had cost her dearly... a good part of the energy she managed to save up was lost.

Now there was only one thing to do: opening up the bond and hoping.


	27. We Have a Task to Fulfill

It was a swirl of strange sensations that woke her up. Tired eyes blinked a few times and cast a glance at the alarm clock on her nightstand. Three in the morning.

What exactly...

 _'Homura! Homura!'_

Once she heard her sister's voice clearly, the time traveler sat up at once. Something was not right, she could tell at once; there was a swirl of fear more intensive than she ever felt raging through the back of her head, accompanied by the constant calling. All her tiredness was washed away in an instant and the Magical Girl already jumped out of bed.

 _"Lilly, what happened?"_

The eldritch being took a few seconds to respond and when she did, her words had the time traveler pause in shock: _'I... need you over here, near the Miki Residence. On the roofs, maybe four or five buildings from there. Do you have a bucket in your shield? We will need one... and water, too. And some cloth to wipe all the blood away.'_

Did she just hear that right? Why was there blood and why was her sister so unbelievably scared?Whatever the reason, those parts of her mind that still wondered and tried to stay rational were taken over by concern as well; Homura already transformed, but stopped with a hand on her shield. With her sister in that condition, she did not want to risk pulling her into a time stop. _"Lilly, talk to me! What happened?"_

The Witch stopped babbling and transferred a mental sigh. _'Sorry, I'm a bit light-headed because of the blood loss. Everything is healed, so keep calm... I'll tell you the details when you're here... burned through a good part of my reserves to save the body... just... hurry...'_

 _"Lilly!"_

Her mental shout remained unanswered when the connection was severed and now Homura did what she had wanted to do before already; the flow of time came to a stop and the Magical Girl opened a window before quickly dashing out of it.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Homura stopped just a single time, wherein she pushed the bucket -which really was in her shield- into the river she walked by in the evening. Following that, the Magical Girl continued to jump over rooftops as fast as possible. Even when time was stopped, she would not risk even a single second.

Yes, she was worried; immensely so. What exactly happened that her sister was bleeding? Did Miki Sayaka attack after all?

 _Most likely... so it was futile after all._

There was not really another possibility for who could have done this, seeing that every other Magical Girl in this city was with them... and no Witch could stand against Homulilly. But what happened just now? Did they have a discussion in the middle of the night? But even then, Lilly should have been able to at least run away because of her time-stop.

Minutes passed with those questions filling her mind as well as the hope that her sister would be alright. She did sound as if whatever problem there was was solved... which most likely meant that someone was dead.

And when Homura finally landed on the correct roof, she found a scene that almost made her cringe: the limp and naked body of Miki Sayaka was lying on the floor, with a large puddle of blood no ten meters from her. In this puddle's center sat Mortal World's Witch, clasping her chest and with her eyes closed. Lilly's school uniform was completely soaked in the red liquid, the once beige top now being of a muddy brown and the white lines on her skirt of a macabre scarlet.

The Magical Girl let time resume and quickly moved over to her Witch, carefully avoiding to put her feet in the puddle; her steps made her sister look up with a start while Homura got the filled bucket out of her shield and placed it on the ground. Lilly's eyes were dull and she shakily went to her feet while the time traveler already pulled a few stripes of cloth out from where the bucket had been as well, holding one of them out to her. She took it and her hands at least shook a bit less once the fingers were cramped around it.

Then Homura went to work and so did the Witch, neither of them talking yet. She had seen the other being's state... Lilly needed time to adjust, so she would give her that.

They diligently wiped away every trace of blood from the floor to make sure that no one would even bother to check. This was her own blood after all; and apparently, the Witch was still level-headed enough to make sure that it disappeared before they left. There was no Akemi Yuri in the records, so when they found her blood here, this might bring her a lot of trouble.

It took them not that long, actually. The blood was not yet completely dried and could easily be wiped off... although it did completely stain the cloth. That needed to be incinerated, just as Lilly's school uniform. The floor looked a bit unusual, but it would have returned to a state resembling the remainder of the roof before anyone might even bother to check... or notice that something was different.

Homura sighed and had a small box appear from her shield where she put the blodied cloth; then she motioned for Lilly. "Put your clothes in there."

At the same moment, she already produced a spare uniform from her vast storage; and as the time traveler saw a few seconds later, even her sister's underwear had bloodstaines. Thus, she followed up with a fresh set.

It was at this point that the Magical Girl wondered when exactly she grew so paranoid that she constantly carried this kind of stuff with her. Well, it paid off this time around...

They had time, more than enough. There would surely be no people around and she knew that there were no security cameras nearby. Nonetheless, her sister got changed in a matter of two minutes and threw every last bit of clothing into the box. A deep frown was etched on her face, but Homura could easily see through it, seeing that she noticed the shimmering eyes and the slight shaking. Lilly was on the verge of tears and once she was done changing, the Witch walked over and buried her head in her shoulder, clutching the time traveler tightly and sobbing miserably.

 _So it did take a toll on you..._

Somehow, it hurt her to see Lilly like this. She took a liking to her and that seemed to be mutual; they were fighting together to protect their one, wonderful friend. Now this girl that should be as strong as her was crying in her arms... but then again, did this not make them even more alike? Even Homura had her moments of weakness...

Still, she should not think about that. For now, the Magical Girl had to take care of her sister. While gently stroking the shaking Witch's back and holding her tight, realised that Lilly still had blood on her hands and chin... which she now smeared all over both of them. Homura decided pay it no mind for now and just held on.

 **. . .**

 _This was interesting, I have to admit._

In fact, Kyubey had hoped for the Witch known as Akemi Yuri to die. This would have removed a powerful counterforce and lowered the chances of success against Walpurgis drastically. Unfortunately though, this did not work out.

On the other hand, this was merely a small drawback. Miki Sayaka's integration into this force of Magical Girls had been prevented, however small of an effect her participation might have had. Additionally, the troublesome Witch had at least been weakened.

Still, it wondered why Yuri did not realise the trap earlier. Considering the amount of psychological knowledge she had of Miki Sayaka, she should have known that nothing positive came from that.

 _Maybe she underestimated her desire to fight Witches._

It could only speculate, though. Now however, the next step had to be planned; as currently, the Akemis' grasp on Kaname Madoka was too secure. There was no way the Incubator could get in contact with her, much less make her believe in this. Mami's opinion might have changed quite a bit in this short amount of time, but it was even more visible with Madoka; the regular girl did not have any opposition to those two after all.

Kyubey decided to leave Witch and Magical Girl alone for today. Their would only be trouble if it was seen.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

After a while of rather quiet weeping, Lilly at least stopped to cry. Homura let out a sigh of relief and gently let go of her sister; however, she came to face a completely broken expression still. The Witch shook as she did before and just went to press her face against the time traveler's chest.

"Homura... I... I got it all wrong..."

Lilly's voice was soft, but also full of shock and... was that hopelessness? But for what reason?

"What did you get wrong?"

"...Everything. The signs were all there, Homura... now that I think about it again, it was as clear as day... and I didn't see it. They tricked me and almost killed me and I couldn't see it..."

So that was it... her sister felt bad about not having realised there was an ambush. It was understandable that she was not happy about this, but that was no reason to blame herself; therefore, Homura squeezed tight once more before letting go and meeting her teary eyes. Right now, Lilly reminded her of the girl she had been so many months ago; always at the verge of breaking down, but still going on. Still, this was even more reason to speak now, which the Magical Girl did with a reassuring smile. "There is no need to blame yourself. You're still alive."

Warm purple met shaking purple, but Lilly slowly managed to snap out of it. The shaking grew weaker and her Witch sighed. "I guess so, but still... that was rather close. Besides, Homura... can you bring the corpse back into her room? Just put her in her bed, would you?

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

After the body was placed where it should be found in the morning, they left the adjacent area within Homura's time stop; however, they did so only after she dumped the bloody water around the last patches of green in a nearby park. No one would notice it there until the ground took care of it. The bucket went back into her shield and the sisters on their way with Lilly clasping her arm tiredly.

They jumped from roof to roof, towards where Homura knew their home was. She now understood this situation a lot better than before. Lilly was more capable than her, yes; however, drawbacks like those also hit her a lot harder than they would hit the Magical Girl. Homura would have just shrugged off the injury and healed it; once her uniform was incinerated, everything was back to how it was.

This was not so easy for Lilly, especially when she said that she lost a good part of her reserves. Those were a lot harder to get their hands on than weapons or the like.

However, another problem presented itself soon enough, once she thought about it:

 _But how will we explain this to Mami and Kyoko?_

After all, they had to do that themselves; if they did not want Kyubey to use this knowledge against them, that was.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

A barely audible creaking had them stop for a moment when the door swung open. A regular human would not even notice, but they did. Lilly sighed while she put off her shoes and Homura did the same after securing the entrance to their home as usual. This was not good and she knew it. They would tell Mami and Kyoko immediately... but she could not bring herself to inform Madoka and neither could her sister. She knew that. She also knew that they had to tell her nonetheless lest Kyubey would use the opportunity... but imagining the pinkette's expression over this revelation already made her chest ache... again.

Her body was slowly finishing with the replenishment of her blood-level, although the process cost her another bit of magic she did not like losing like this. Such a waste; and all of this because she became soft for a moment.

The Witch walked into the living room and barely managed not to slump down on the couch. She was full of dried blood, not to mention the soundly sleeping Kyoko already occupying that place.

"Go and take a shower; I will make you something to eat."

Homura's cold voice betrayed the emotions Lilly knew her sister had. Still, she understood that this was not a suggestion but an order; therefore, she did what the Magical Girl wanted and went to the bathroom. This would be a good opportunity to think things through.

Her clothes quickly fell and the Witch went under the warm water with delight. The night was cold, so this was a wonderful change right now.

Still, Lilly was not sure what to make of the situation at hand. Just when she thought that there were no more cards Kyubey could play against them, the idiot had to get herself killed.

While the water splashed down on her and the eldritch being tried her best to scrub the dried blood off of her body without using magic. This at least gave her something to do and kept her occupied... Lilly's mind could not wander back to what happened. Thanks to that, she could stand being alone for now. It would take at least the rest of the night to get back on track, but she would definitely not just give in to herself again. Especially when the situation before had the human-shaped Witch break down right in front of her sister; she did not know what to think about that.

 _Homura didn't seem to mind... but it's concerning that I lose my superiority..._

She understood herself less and less as a Witch, as an eldritch creature far beyond human standards. She was Homulilly, Mortal World's Witch. And yet she pitied a human whom she knew was foolish.

The conclusion formed itself within her mind, filled with dread and disgust: _I am becoming more human._

She could not allow this. She must not.

It took but a few minutes longer to get done; in the end, Lilly just took care of the last few bits with a few sprinkles of her valuable magic. She was tired and hungry.

So after drying herself and slipping into her pyjamas, the Witch proceeded towards the kitchen when her gaze fell on something on her nightstand. A certain Grief Seed, still untouched and swirling with taint; if Homura noticed that her Witch carried this one around for quite some time, she never commented on it. It was unlikely that her sister knew to differentiate this one from others, though. Lilly left it here when she headed out for Miki Sayaka... mostly because she simply forgot to take it along.

Elsa Maria was only hours away from emerging again and Lilly was still unsure what to do about her. Just why did she not just eat it? After all, she pitied that Witch as well.

 _Is it part of my nature to pity them? Is it possible?_

She could not rule it out. However, another thought presented itself right after this one was finished. _Those little creatures live a meaningless life, constantly betrayed by their own wishes and prayers... no, I don't pity them. I pity_ myself _because I am the same. Homura gave her life meaning and I inherited that. We have a task to fulfill. I am a Witch. I am Homulilly. No holding back, no closing my eyes from the truth. No mercy._

While Lilly wandered back into the living room, she started to work on that. This time though, the Witch simply ignored the metal casing and broke a few of the bars off to get the core; which she gulped down and waited for a moment. No screaming, nothing. Elsa Maria dissolved in silence, which was somehow far more unsettling than any scream she ever heard before.

Once she felt the accumulated taint enter her system, Lilly slowy started to eat the casing bit by bit. For some reason, it did not really taste well.

 _Just what is happening to me..._

 **. . .**

Homura did hear the crunching noises from the adjacent living room. However, she would not check on Lilly because she knew the Witch was fine. Her aura even increased slightly, so maybe she had a Grief Seed left to eat. That happened.

Nonetheless, she worried about her sister. Lilly became more and more unstable as time went on. She might have an actual breakdown before the end of the month, something Homura could not allow. This Witch was too important to die on her.

Unfortunately though, there was not much she could do except for staying with her. Lilly was far more emotional than she was, a reminder of just how much she was suppressing her own feelings. Her Witch was closer to who she actually was than Homura herself.

They were a strange pair indeed. The Magical Girl that left most of her feelings somewhere on the way and the Witch that carried them in the depths of her eldritch heart. There was no mistaking it anymore, she had grown to appreciate Lilly to the point that she treasured her. They did not love each other as Homura had never been able to love herself; however, they understood each other in a way not even identical twins did. This kind of connection was indeed special.

But would it be enough? Would they be capable to defeat Walpurgis and end this nightmare?

Her whole being erupted in a determined spark and Homura knew that it was difficult, that there would most likely be casualties. At least the city would be destroyed to a good part once she unleashed everything she had in store... but it would be obliterated by the Witch anyway, so she did not pay much attention to that.

As dark as it looked like -as dark as it always looked-, the time traveler was confident. Both Tomoe Mami and Sakura Kyoko would join the battle; this amount of force would surely make the difference. The quiet voice in the back of her head that noted how the Queen of Witches always reemerged without a scratch from her bombardment was ignored.

However, Madoka being aware of her time travels posed a great risk. There had been no choice anymore, seeing just how far she was involved already... but Homura did not like it. Her wonderful friend was not made to take something like this.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

The beeping of an alarm clock filled the room and a tired hand went to push the snooze-button. Following that, the owner of said hand slowly rose to sit up and raised her hands as far as was possible. Accompanied by a long yawn, Hitomi closed her eyes for a few moments longer. Then she snapped to attention and looked down at the alarm; she had enough time, just as usual.

It had been a strange weekend altogether, but now it was Monday morning and she should soon stand up to have breakfast with her father.

Still, the fact that her friend Sayaka had been amiss ever since Saturday morning and suddenly returned on Sunday evening already had her decide to ask the girl about it. If she was honest with herself, Hitomi was well aware that this kind of behaviour from the blunette might very well be her fault. After all, she pushed her into this state of turmoil.

On the other hand though, it would not have been fair to hold herself back for as long as Sayaka needed to make a decision. Knowing her, this might have taken ages, so the well-mannered girl did the only thing that seemed proper: she confronted her friend and told her to finally decide.

 _But that she would run away... I just hope that everything is alright..._

Hitomi shook her head and swung her legs over the bedside to finally get changed. Then however, her gaze fell onto something strange sitting on her nightstand; from the look of it, it might be a plushed animal of the kind Madoka liked. However, Hitomi had neither memories of receiving something so rather odd-looking like a cat with two pairs of ears and unsettling, red eyes, nor did she recall putting it on her nightstand.

The girl gently rose to her feet and went over to examine the toy a bit closer, taking it with her hands to take a look at its face.

Only to realise that it blinked.

 _'Good morning, Shizuki Hitomi.'_

She dropped the feline out of sheer surprise when the voice echoed in her head, prompting a surprised gasp of hers.

 _What is this?!_

The girl quickly scrambled backwards while the creature landed on its paws just like any cat would... but it looked so strange and it _talked_. What was the meaning of this? Had she gone insane?

 _'There is no need to worry over your mental condition, everything is fine. I am Kyubey!'_

She was hiding behind her chair by now, but the feline was simply sitting where she dropped it; apparently content with cleaning its fur and sending a glance her way once in a while. She simply stared and did not move from her -hopefully- safe location. After a while of silent observation where nothing dangerous happened, the girl slowly got to her feet and took a few steps closer. Maybe this really was just some kind of cat that was extremely rare... it would make sense when she went by looks alone. Maybe an albino...

The thing... Kyubey simply let it happen and eyed her in silence with his head slightly tilted until she was crouching right in front of him. "You... you can talk?"

 _'Why, yes! I'm really sorry to interrupt you like this, but time is of an essence for me right now. You see, there is something I want you to do.'_

She decided to just accept the existence of a strange looking, talking cat for now. It did not seem hostile at least... but this wording made her suspicious at once. Hitomi had been told by her parents that this almost always meant someone wanted to take advantage of her.

"And what would that be?"

It did not yet show in her tone, although those that knew her better might have noticed the unusually cold choice of words where she usually spoke a bit more warmly.

Kyubey apparently did not notice and simply closed his eyes to convey something more akin to a smile. _'Form a contract with me and become a Magical Girl!'_

"Magical... Girl..."

Maybe this was actually a scam her friends made up... but this was a bit tasteless of a joke and there was still a voice talking right in her head, which she was sure none of the people around her could produce. She did not even know anyone with that kind of voice.

Nonetheless, she eyed the cat with disbelief. "How would that even work?"

It should be alright to find out more about all of this and Kyubey seemed happy to comply. _'I will grant you any one wish you have and then give you a Soul Gem to utilize the magic you will gain from the contract. In exchange, you have to fight Witches, creatures that lurk in the shadows and prey on humankind. This is the short version; should I elaborate?'_

Any wish of her desire... this sounded definitely like a dream and besides, Hitomi was a bit more realistic than that. She was still unsure what to think of the situation as a whole, but a response to an offer like this... she did not need to think for long.

"That will not be necessary. There is only one wish I would have on an occasion as this one, Kyubey...san."

He perked up in an instant and silently motioned for her to continue. Which she did after thinking over the wording once more, so that her intentions would definitely be clear: "I would wish for you to never visit me again."

Hitomi was content with her own abilities; why would she want to cheat her way around the hard work she knew was necessary to achieve something in life? She was not that arrogant and on top of that, her father told her something valuable about contracts: there was always one side that gained more than the other. And she severely doubted that Kyubey was as selfless as he made himself appear; which was even more reason to doubt and decline the offer.

The feline slightly lowered the upper pair of ears and stood up. _'I see. That is very unfortunate then. If this is your final answer, I have to take my leave now. I'm sorry for bothering you.'_

It did not sound actually sad to her. Besides, there would be a lot of people interested in this kind of contract, would they not? Whatever it was, the girl just shook her head and returned to her bed; Kyubey walked towards the slightly opened window and jumped onto the windowsill.

Then however, he said something that had her drop the top she had just taken up: _'Although you should talk to either Kaname Madoka or Akemi Yuri about Miki Sayaka's death soon.'_

"Wha..."

But he was gone. Just like that, when she had not been looking for a mere two seconds.

 _This... it must have been an illusion... just like the other day._

She found herself in the hospital after losing conciousness somewhere in the afternoon and was told that there had been more than a dozen people passed out in the same place. The doctors were talking about a mass hallucination and she was inclined to believe them.

On the other hand, Kyubey just spoke about creatures preying on humans from the dark...

 _No, no, no! This can not be real and I should not give so much value to it._

However, she might go to see a psychologist if it continued like this. Maybe it was the stress from all the additional things she had to put up recently. Yes, this was a likely explanation. Her worries about her friend simply played into the whole affair.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

When Hitomi reached their usual meeting place, she was the first one to arrive. This in itself was not unusual but in the light of recent events, the green-haired girl was not entirely happy about it. Deep within herself, she hoped that a certain blunette would appear from the usual direction.

Unfortunately though, she did not. The next thing that pulled her out of her tensed state of waiting was Madoka's cheerful voice: "Good morning, Hitomi-chan!"

Her friend was a bit late as always, although they somehow always managed to get to school on time. Hitomi smiled at her warmly while returning the greeting. "Good morning to you too, Madoka-san."

The pinkette looked around for a moment while the lime-haired girl snapped open her phone to look at the time. "I guess we can not afford to wait longer."

"Huh... yes, you're right."

Although Madoka seemed slightly confused for a few moments there, her cheerfulness returned not long after they started walking. That was strange, even for her kind friend. It made Hitomi raise an eyebrow for a moment. "By any chance, did something good happen to you, Madoka-san?"

The other girl looked over to her and her cheeks started to match the colour of her hair.

 _Oh my..._

Could this be what she thought it was? Had her friend finally gotten the love letter she always wanted to get?

"Well... uh..."

Madoka scratched the back of her head while Hitomi pondered what to make of this. It would be really embarassing if she was wrong about this... but on the other hand, what else could it mean? Although she was not sure whether it was a good thing. Her friend was a kind girl and that might lead some people to try and exploit her kindness. Whoever it was, she should take a good look at him as soon as possible.

"Um... I don't know how to say... but... you see, I... I was... I... this Saturday, I had... a date."

The smaller girl quickly lowered her head and started to fiddle with her thumbs. "At least Mama says that it was one..."

This did surprise her. Hitomi would have guessed a confession... but a date already? Or maybe Madoka had been asked out without a confession? That seemed a bit odd. Nonetheless, it made her happy as long as her friend was; she sent the kind girl a warm smile. "My, congratulations. You really surprised me there for a moment."

They had not stopped walking while they spoke and the pinkette nodded slightly. "Actually... I was a bit surprised, too... but Mama told me that I should rather ask and be rejected instead of not asking and regretting it forever."

That sounded like reasonable advice, although she was not entirely sure whether one could regret a small crush for one's entire life. On the other hand, Kaname Junko had definitely far more experience than her, so she was inclined to believe it. However, this situation was still a bit strange. She never noticed Madoka fancying anyone. So who was it?

The school was already in their view and as usual, they were joined by the Akemi-twins at this point. Yuri seemed a bit tired while Homura was as unreadable as always. They bowed slightly and so did the other two. "Good morning, Homura-chan, Yuri-chan."

She greeted them right after the cheerful pinkette and the twins joined them silently. Now their group consisted of four middle-schoolers... although Hitomi was not sure whether she should continue on the topic they had been speaking about before. In the end, she decided against it and tried to strike a conversation with the twins instead. But about what?

 _Now that I think about it..._ , she wondered while her eyes were lying on the younger twin, _Yuri-san has some strange vibe to her today... or is that just my imagination?_

She could not really put it. This girl did not seem any different in comparison to how she had been the last Friday. Nonetheless, she felt off... maybe this was what Madoka meant a few weeks back?

Hitomi could barely explain it to herself, but there was definitely something... unfortunately for her, her thoughtful, green gaze met an indifferent purple when Yuri turned her head and raised an eyebrow. She did not speak, but the question was clear. The other two paid no mind to them and continued to walk next to each other in a somewhat... comfortable silence.

Since Hitomi did not know how to put this strange feeling she had without being rude, she refrained from speaking at all. Yuri averted her gaze after a while and shrugged. They were almost within the building already and the group did no longer gain much more attention than any other. Although the well-mannered girl did notice a few not so friendly gazes directed at the younger Akemi-twin. She was no fan of rumours and certainly did not try to spread any... but from what she heard over the last week, Yuri was extremely violent when no one was looking. There had been a girl hit by a loose lamp last Thursday, but some people said that the lamp was perfectly fine before and that it was just an excuse for something the raven-haired girl did. It sounded really unlikely, but it was worrying after all. Why would someone spread rumours like this?

"Okay, what are you thinking about? It's written all over your face."

"Huh?"

She quickly returned from her thoughts, only to find the younger twin and Madoka looking at her. Homura was eyeing her sister instead of Hitomi... which she was grateful for. To be found out like this was not the best way for things to go. She wondered if she could talk her way out of this, but came to realise that Akemi Yuri was too observant to let it slip once she called her out. She did not say anything before after all. There was no one around right now, so there was no reason for her not to answer.

The green-haired girl slowly bowed her head and averted her gaze. She was a bit embarassed to have to speak like this... but there was no way out.

"Please do not misunderstand me, I do not mean to insult you... I was wondering how to put it for a while now. Something about you just feels strange to me today, Yuri-san."

Now Homura's head turned to her as well and Madoka seemed... surprised? Why was that? Yuri on her part just waved it off. "If it's just that, I don't mind. Just pay no mind to it, whatever it is."

The last part sounded more like an afterthought. She was not sure what to make of the situation, especially not with her pink-haired friend's thoughtful expression while she exchanged a glance with Homura. The older twin continued to hide her thoughts behind this expressionless face and she was left to wonder just what this meant.


	28. What Happened?

Nothing out of the ordinary happened in class, although the air was a bit different than usual. Once again Hitomi blamed this on her own perception, seeing that she still felt this strange vibe from Yuri. However, some of her classmates apparently felt similar, especially the girls. Glances flew in the raven-haired girl's direction and once she was even handed a note asking if something happened to the girl.

In fact, she did not know. Their classmate seemed to have changed over the course of this weekend... but no one could put it well. She was not alone with this feeling of hers after all... but would that not mean that it was really something that emanated from Yuri?

 _Maybe... maybe some new perfume that has barely no scent?_

She discarded the idea almost as fast as it presented itself. That kind of explanation sounded far too weak for the situation. On top of that, the girl in question seemed to be aware of it. Maybe she should just ask? The worst thing that could happen was that she was rude... and Yuri had been rather lenient about that up until now.

Therefore, Hitomi decided that she would bring it up at lunchbreak.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Or not.

The problem was not that she was unable to ask or that Yuri went somewhere else... it was that when they reached the roof to meet with their senior, she found a familiar white and red creature sitting on the ground behind her not too far away.

The Akemis simply continued to walk, but Madoka took a few seconds longer to stare at the same place her own eyes were directed at; now she was inclined to believe that this was not just in her head. Hitomi slowly started to walk and so did her pink-haired friend. She was confused as to what this meant... until something Kyubey said to her this morning returned to her conciousness as burning as a hot iron: 'You should talk to either Kaname Madoka or Akemi Yuri about Miki Sayaka's death.'

If there was more to this and the blunette was still absent... could it be?

When she and Madoka reached the other girls, they bowed in greeting and Mami did the same after putting down her lunchbox. It was still unopened, though, and when Hitomi glanced to the side, she saw Kyubey sitting there just like before, unmoving and not even blinking.

Somehow, she did not feel well talking about strange occurences with this piercing, red gaze lying on them, so she decided to talk to the transfer student after school. Something was going on here and she wanted to find out.

 _Maybe... maybe I should confess to Kamijou-kun tomorrow..._

One more day was alright. That should be enough to get this problem sorted out... or at least she hoped so.

"Good afternoon, Kaname-san, Shizuki-san. You look good today."

She responded to the polite smile in kind while her friend sheepishly scratched the back of her head and Yuri rolled her eyes. The latter might be because she was not prone to exchange pleasantries, as she made clear ever since transferring in. The same went for her older sister... but if she was honest, Hitomi did not mind it much. In fact, she was so used to it from being around Sayaka that she did not even really notice; she just replied to the greeting: "I can say the same of you, Senpai."

They exchanged another smile while she sat down next to Madoka, with Homura at her other side and Yuri next to her sister. As everyone went to open their lunch, the pinkette quickly rose to her feet and put her box down. "Um... you can start without me. I'm just going to the toilet real quick."

And off she was with a yellow and a purple gaze following her. Hitomi had just nodded and put her own lunch aside. They had enough time to eat it anyway... and it was rude to start without Madoka. Everyone else apparently thought the same.

"Is it just my imagination, or is she a bit jumpy today?", Mami wondered with her gaze wandering over the other girls. Neither of them came to answer, seeing that a high-pitched voice in their heads had both of the more refined girls flinch while the Akemis did not react at all: _'Would you have a moment to talk to me?'_

 **. . .**

When she saw Hitomi quiver at the mental voice, her mind connected another pair of dots and Lilly sighed before turning around to meet the Incubator's gaze. "What is it this time?"

She did not need to look to know what kind of expression Mami had right now. Apparently, she did not notice that the regular girl with them was aware of Kyubey's presence. "Um... Yuri-san?"

"It's fine", her sister replied to the blonde with her usual, nonchalant tone. "Shizuki-san... seems to know."

And because she did, it would be far more trouble to try and keep this concealed; the only way they had was to charge ahead, even when this meant playing in the Incubator's hands... paws... whatever.

The rat used the time of Homura's short statement to walk a bit closer... although it did hold its distance to her.

 _'I was wondering. Since you are a Witch, are there no complications with this body? Soul Gems can hardly control it over higher distances, but we never had the chance to see how it reacts to a Grief Seed.'_

"Huh? What... what exactly is going on?"

Hitomi seemed to be confused by the whole situation, which was not that much of a surprise. She was the kind of girl that did not believe in magic and would never form a contract. To realise that it was most likely true... would come as a shock. However, the human-shaped Witch did not bother to explain anything right now. She just raised an eyebrow at this train of thought.

"Why exactly would I tell you, I wonder? Hatred is not understandable to you, but you should know the signs and be able to predict my actions on that premise."

Which meant 'humour me, get lost or I will kill you'.

Kyubey tilted its head slightly. _'I do. However, there are a few things I am interested in. For example the exact effect of you devouring a Soul Gem.'_

So this was what it was; it tried to lure her into a trap. And going by Mami's gasp, one person had already fallen into it. She made an off-hand motion to signal the blonde to wait while her eyes never left the Incubator. "So you think there would be any special effects?"

 _'I don't know, that's why I am here.'_

They stared at each other for a long moment and Lilly really wondered whether she should just eat the rat and be done with it. Then however, it continued: _'As you should be aware, Walpurgis is a Witch born from the combination of many other Witches. This means that there has to be a core-Witch, the one that started to fuse with others. So if it is possible for a Witch to absorb another's essence, I wonder if you could do something likewise.'_

It made sense in a way. Although she never thought about it for a very obvious reason; obvious to her at least. She leaned back and nodded at Kyubey. "I never paid much attention to the Grief Seeds I ate because I dissolved them into raw energy. Walpurgis is powerful indeed... but a merging of so many creatures can't be limited to their magic alone. Their minds will merge together as well. As you may guess, I prefer to stay the way I am, so I will not just start to fuse other being's magic into mine."

The others listened to their conversation silently and with -at least partly- apparent interest. Kyubey gave her statement some thought while Lilly analysed its behaviour. It was definitely aiming to reveal the murder of Miki. However, it also tried -and succeeded- to gather data about her and on top of that...

 _The rat waited until Madoka was not around..._

It presented itself in plain sight before, so that she clearly saw it... something was off about this behaviour. What was it trying to do?

 _'I see. However, was the "dissolving" as you call it the same process with Miki Sayaka's Soul Gem? Surely the difference in material must have been noteworthy.'_

There she had it. Madoka's scent was still a good bit away and she was honestly glad about that. If possible, she wanted to keep this particular deed a secret from the pinkette... as unreasonable as it sounded.

"The biggest difference was that it continued to shatter whenever I bit the crystal. Besides, I didn't have that much time to concentrate on the taste because I was focussed on healing this tiny little cut right through my back, lung and chest."

She could feel the surprise and shock from both Mami and Hitomi; Homura already knew and kept calm, but the other girls had no idea. However, this line of questioning made Lilly understand that Kyubey had indeed been around. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she leaned closer to the creature. "Which you should already know, shouldn't you?"

Kyubey was not disturbed by this in the slightest.

 _'Yes, I do. In fact, I was currently searching for a malfunctioning body of mine in the vicinity... and from what I observed, it was indeed unreasonable of Sayaka to attack you in that fashion. It was rather clear that a Witch, even when bound to a human body, would not die from just one wound; asides the fact that you do keep your various forms of defense a secret for a reason, I guess... Do you have an idea about why she thought that this course of action would work out?'_

Remembering that particular scene had a bit of the pain return to her chest and Lilly sighed while she noticed the horror of Mami and Hitomi as a sidenote. "I have none and I don't care. Get lost."

It tilted its head a bit more, but it complied. Once the Incubator was gone, she turned towards the other girls and sensed for Madoka, who was on her way back by now. She would still need one or two minutes, so they had to be quick.

Confused and terrified green as well as horrified yellow were directed at her and prompted the Witch to sigh again. "Yes, Miki Sayaka is dead. I could say that I only defended myself... but in the end, I did kill her."

She kept her voice low to avoid getting heard by other people, even when this was not really likely. Lilly could sense that there was no one around. She also knew that just admitting this deed might not be the best choice... but what else should she do? This was a trap she had not seen coming before it already wound around her, so now the Witch had to face the consequences and figure out what to do.

Hitomi moved to jump up to either get some distance or to run away. However, Homura's hand on her arm prevented her from doing so and the lime-haired girl started to struggle to break free. Unfortunately, her sister did not budge a single centimeter and the sudden action had even Mami stop with whatever she wanted to say. The two Akemis exchanged a glance and Lilly shook her head slightly. "That won't work. However, it is your decision whether we can discuss this properly or not."

She went to rub her temples. Talking with Kyubey almost gave her a headache... why did this thing have to pitch its voice so high? Of course, the psychological effect on human girls this age was more important than the state of mind of a Witch.

Hitomi looked from her to Homura and Mami and slowly slumped back down onto her seat while tears started to form in her eyes. The shock and fear died down while sadness began to settle in. "J-Just... what happened those last weeks? We had... ordinary lifes... were... ordinary people... why us? Why Sayaka-san?!"

Her questioning was interrupted by occasional sobs while she tried to keep her composure and failed badly. But to make things worse...

"Sorry it took me so long! I... Hitomi-chan? What happened?!"

While Lilly rose to her feet and took a few steps away from the small group, a flash of pink darted past her.

 **. . .**

She did not know what to think. Her mind was completely blank while she continued to stare at Yuri's back. The human-shaped Witch had admitted murder, she killed someone... even when she promised her not to do it.

Mami's mind was in turmoil and she even considered to end this here and now... but then again, both Kyubey and Yuri made it clear that Sayaka attacked her first. That was her most convincing reason not to act without thinking. She had to stay focussed and remain calm.

On the other hand, seeing Hitomi hug the surprised Kaname and cry into her shoulder did not help her much with keeping her cool. She exchanged a glance with Homura, who seemed not bothered with the situation at all.

"Homura-san... could you tell me what happened from your perspective?"

That had the two regular girls look their way with the pinkette still not understanding anything. The time traveler nodded slightly, although her brows furrowed. "I wasn't there until it was over, though. Yuri called me over to help her with cleaning up her blood. The wound had already healed when I arrived... but it was clear that it was hers."

The other Magical Girl shivered slightly, which told Mami more than enough about the sight she must have had. At the same time the Witch turned back to them. Kaname's eyes had widened when she heard that and she was looking at Yuri, who in turn nodded at her sister. "I can only make an estimated guess... but from how the place and my clothes looked, I think I lost something between two and three liters."

And once again, this being was so calmly talking about such a terrible thing that it gave Mami goosebumps. It was alienating to see another person be so cold...

"N-No way... who did that, Yuri-chan?"

Kaname still failed to connect the dots... but it would not take much longer until they had to deal with two sobbing girls and in all honesty, Mami had the feeling that she should actually join them... she decided to do that later, seeing that right now was not a good time for a breakdown. She had to hold out for at least this long, even when her eyes were burning with tears as well. The blonde exchanged a glance with Homura instead, who just stared back blankly. Yuri on her part pinched the bridge of her nose. "Miki. Stabbed me in the back after I saved her life; literally, I mean."

The pinkette's surprised gasp made it clear that she had not known this. "B-But... Sayaka-chan wouldn't..."

"She would", the resolute voice of the raven-haired girl interrupted. "I'm a Witch and she knew that. Despite the fact that I actually saved her life a few hours earlier, she decided that the best course of action was to attack me the moment I turned my back to her."

Yuri sighed and rubbed her temples. "I think I understand why it's far easier to be what you call evil... you don't have to justify your every deed. Yes, I ended the life of Miki Sayaka. I did so because I had no choice if I wanted to survive this night myself, but in all honesty: I don't expect either of you two to accept my reasoning... and that's just fine. You don't need to."

Mami was still unsure what to make of this, but she had to agree. It was not easy to understand those that fought in the shadows for the rest of their life, to grasp the struggles they faced. Nonetheless, this kind of honesty was a bit brutal to her. Both girls were crying now and the blonde felt the desperate need to say something comforting... unfortunately, she could not think of anything.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Lunch break passed just like this and Kaname as well as Shizuki got a hold of themselves eventually. They did not look good and both went to the infirmary to be alone with their thoughts... or to avoid getting questioned about their mood dropping so suddenly. Mami packed up her uneaten lunch and went to leave as well, although a few words from Homura held her back: "Despite your words... you regret killing her, don't you?"

When she looked back, the third-year saw that the remaining younger girls were looking at each other, although she could only see Yuri's face from her position. The Witch was averting her gaze and had a look close to tiredness. "And what of it? I can't allow such pathetic emotions to weigh me down. We have a task to complete."

Mami slowly came to understand how to put the responses this Witch gave. Kyoko had been right; Yuri would never admit to something... something embarassing openly. She was just like most other girls in that regard, only her understanding of 'embarassing' was a bit different.

The blonde sighed and contributed to the conversation after a moment of mental discussion with herself: "You should not suppress yourself like this, Yuri-san. It will only make things worse in the end."

That earned her a sharp look and the Witch already opened her mouth to make a retort, but stopped before anything came out of her mouth. Instead of speaking, she just raised an eyebrow while Mami nodded slightly. "I know how that sounds coming from me, but it is true nonetheless."

She still wondered if she could forgive Yuri for what she did. The situation was still strange with a Witch around... but on the other hand, her views had changed quite a bit in those few weeks.

"I know."

This was all she said and a look at her cellphone reminded her that she really should be on her way back to class now. Mami bowed slightly at the two younger girls and started to walk. "I have to go now and you should return to your classroom as well. We can talk about what happened later."

And then she would decide on what to do.

 **. . .**

Once the blonde was gone, Lilly sighed again and nodded at her to signal that she was ready to return. They got moving as well with Homura being a step ahead. This was why she could not see her sister's face, she only heard her words and they made her cringe due to the grave tone. "I am afraid. Not of dying or something of the sort... I'm afraid of becoming human. I could never accept this and I know it... I took pity on Miki Sayaka when I should not have... and should my mind change further into one of theirs... I will gladly rip out my own heart."

The last part had her look back after all... but her sister already wore the blank mask they shared. The time traveler gently nodded at her Witch. "I can understand why you would."

Lilly felt herself to be superior to humankind after all. This was even true on some level and Homura knew that... but on the other hand, she was not human herself. What place did she have in these ranks?

In the end, and that the Magical Girl knew by heart, she did not care.

 _I threw away my humanity to save you... no matter the time it takes, no matter the atrocities I have to commit. Even if I have to become a Witch in the end... Madoka..._

 **. . .**

The grave air in the infirmary was unusual at best. Had a nurse been present, she might have fled the room.

The two inhabitants of the room were sitting back to back on one of the beds, not looking at and not speaking with each other as they brooded over what happened. Hitomi's eyes were as red and swollen as Madoka's... although she suspected that her pink-haired friend was hit a lot harder by this than she was. Even when it hurt to admit, those two were always closer than her and Sayaka had been... but on any regular occasion, none of them would ever even start to compare.

 _Sayaka-san... just... just... why?_

"Madoka-san?"

Her voice was dull and she did not feel like giving it any kind of tone just for convenience's sake. The pinkette apparently had the same train of thought, seeing that her almost inaudible "Hm?" lacked everything the gentle girl usually had in her voice.

Nonetheless, she had to ask... it bothered her and would continue to do so. "This creature... Kyubey... what it claims about Magical Girls... and Witches... is that true?"

Had all of this not happened and she were to stumble over Yuri making a comment like those she made earlier, she might have thought the transfer student to suffer from Chuunibyou -that she was lost in a fantasy world of her own and confused it with reality. This however... this could not be mere fantasy. It could not be a dream.

"Yes..."

So it was just as this being claimed... but then...

"If so... then Y-Yuri-san is...?"

"Yes..."

It broke her heart to hear the pain in her friend's voice and to feel her body shake against her back. Madoka was trying to hold it in, trying to regain her composure. It did not work well and in fact, Hitomi was not faring much better. She was sitting around here as well, after all. On the other hand, the situation became confusing... and maybe she could distract the pinkette with a few more questions. At least she hoped she could.

"But if she is a Witch... why are you around her so casually? Are they not preying on humans?"

The other girl became stiff for a moment, but relaxed just as quickly. "I... I don't know anymore. Yuri-chan said that she would never attack people and everyone believes her. I don't think that she does..."

Bad question; that just led back to Sayaka. She had to come up with something else.

"Um... I wonder: how many Magical Girls are there around us?"

That had the pinkette quiet for a few seconds. When she replied, she seemed reluctant. "Homura-chan and Mami-san are veterans... and Kyoko-chan is here now, too..."

There was a lead she could follow, both because it led away from the topic at hand and because she was curious about this person Madoka mentioned in the end. That both Mami and Homura were Magical Girls was somewhat expected, seeing that both of them were present earlier. "If I may ask, this other girl, Kyoko...san? Could you tell me about her?"

"Um... I don't really got to talk to her, you know? She dresses a bit like a delinquent... but I think she's a nice girl deep down. Homura-chan told me that she's reliable... and I think so, too. But... well, Kyoko-chan is... um... brutally honest, maybe? I don't know how to describe it, sorry."

This was... not really accurate, but it was something. Hitomi's lips curled into a small smile and she shook her head. "It is fine. Thank you for telling me, Madoka-san."

So this was what kept those two occupied for the last weeks. Now that she knew, it finally made sense. This was nothing one could just tell a person that was not in on everything... and on top of that, she would never have believed an explanation like this one, had all the proof not been right in front of her eyes.

The lime-haired girl sighed and leaned backwards so that her shoulders touched those of the smaller girl behind her. "This month is really strange..."

 **. . .**

 _No good._

The thoughts kept flowing even when Lilly knew that it could get her in trouble to pay absolutely no attention. She already decided to give in and review the situation.

 _Kyubey has me... us in a pincer. Even when I had a good reason to kill Miki Sayaka... Madoka will no longer trust me. Better that she learned it now than later, though... that would have been worse. Homura might still be able to have direct influence... but she has to reestablish a base of trust first._

If it continued like this, they might get in serious trouble really soon. Of course no one could frame her for the murder... it did not even look like one, after all. However, Lilly knew that humans were strange in that regard; it took them a long time until they started to trust someone... but a single wrong action could easily lead to distrust and suspicion.

 _On the other hand, I'm the same. Paranoid by default._

Although she had a better reason... the petty humans were afraid of their own kind, one alone too weak to defy their race. Homulilly was different in that regard. She did not care whether she had to stand up against other Witches, no matter how strong they were.

 _Back to the actual point... I could muse about this for hours..._

Her mind went back to the concerning effect her revelation had on Madoka. Hitomi's involvement did at least mean something; Kyubey got desperate and tried to get some kind of advantage over them. It already knew that this girl would not form the contract, not even under circumstances such as these.

 _What are you planning..._

Unfortunately, it involved a lot of work to actually get an idea of what the Incubator was trying to do. Her most powerful ability focussed on humans alone, so she could not just evaluate an alien by the same standards. Kyubey did not have emotions... which made it difficult for Lilly to follow its train of thought by simply going by the kind of manipulations it made; she was a Witch, a being born by emotions alone. On top of that, she was well aware of the fact that her own logic was different from universal logic. Trying to understand the latter completely would send her further on the path to becoming human and abandoning her status; the mere thought made her shiver.

 _Let's see... the overall goal is to make Madoka a Magical Girl. What actors do we have on the stage... Homura and I will never fall for the rat's schemes and Mami is so suspicious that she will ask us about what to do first... Kyoko? No, not really. She sometimes commits suicide when killing Sayaka's Witch... honestly, what for? They know each other for a good two weeks and spend all of this time trying to kill each other..._

She discarded this train of thought before it could become a rant.

 _I guess she will at least stay alive for Walpurgis... hm... the Queen of Witches is the cause to the desired effect. Madoka will only form a contract when we fall fighting her. Sayaka's death was inevitable... but Kyoko, Mami and Homura are highly skilled veterans with powerful magic. That Kyubey goes to such lengths means that we have a chance of defeating Walpurgis... it has to. But on the other hand... Homura's destructive potential is the highest of the three and the Witch never even had a scratch..._

This thought was delayed until further notice. It did not fit the topic and speculation like this would not help her in any way.

 _So... how will the Incubator take down this group? Mami is on our side and both her and Kyoko distrust the rat... With what it did today, it tried to sow distrust... for what reason? Does it want to regain control over Mami? No, that won't work and Kyubey has to know that, too._

She was slowly coming closer to a theory, although she did not like how her thoughts progressed. Considering Madoka's regular state of mind after her friend's death and the exceptional situation they were in with all the veterans working together... there was a way to ensure their failing and Lilly saw it. She could not prevent that.

On the other hand... she could. It was a big risk she took there... but if she was honest, this was what she got for letting her feelings get the better of her... for being... human.

 _I could have prevented this by just letting Miki Sayaka die..._

She saw this clearly, but there was nothing she could do about it anymore.

 _I guess... I don't have another choice left... the situation is too shaky right now._

Which meant that she had to play Homura as well... and that it would hurt.

 **. . .**

At the same time, a certain blonde sat in her own classroom and was brooding over what to do as well. Mami was conflicted.

On the one hand, she had the Witch she herself decided to accept as her... acquaintance? Friend? She was not sure. But then Yuri just went and killed Miki... although she just defended herself and -if she was not lying at that point- she even tried to save the blunette.

 _But still... for her to be so cold... it didn't seem as if she even cared about it._

However, a Witch did not go by human ethics, Yuri stated that herself. Killing people might be nothing unusual... no, this kind of thought felt wrong. She promised her that she did not and would not do that, after all.

 _Maybe more like... killing people might not even be wrong to her?_

That sounded better, both for the explanation and for her conscience. Mami really wanted to trust Yuri, she wanted to be this girl's friend... but it became difficult to do so with how she behaved... the blonde was not sure, she had never been after those first hours on Saturday.

 _I really am pathetic..._

There was not much that could be done... but then again, she never had to deal with a Witch like this one before. Maybe she should ask Homura when she met the other veteran the next time. Seeing that Yuri was practically her Witch, she would know her better... and now that she thought about it, the last words she heard from the time traveler rang in her ears.

She completely forgot that this particular Witch hid her actual thoughts behind a mask of indifference...

 _I really need to talk to Homura-san..._

Maybe Mami could have some clarity over her own thoughts when she did that.


	29. A Storm Will Come

Mami had been the first one to arrive at the gate, but the others did not take much longer. Interestingly, Shizuki was with them again, walking by Kaname's side with the polite smile frozen on her face; it was enough to disguise her actual feelings and the pinkette managed to do that as well... partly. One could still see that she was upset. Homura on her part walked with a bit of distance to the other two; only one person was amiss.

"Um... if I may ask..."

"The teacher asked her to help with something."

So it would take a while until Yuri was with them again... somehow, Mami did not really believe this. Looking at the two regular girls, she got the feeling that their eldritch companion was trying to stay out of sight for a while. A reasonable decision, she found. Especially because the blonde needed some time to think about this herself as well.

"I see. I guess she wants us to go without her?"

The time traveler gave her a small nod and they got moving with the other girls following in silence.

 **. . .**

"By any chance... did something happen?"

The reluctant question had her perk up and return the concerned gaze of the adult walking next to her. Lilly raised an eyebrow and quickly lowered it. Japanese customs... it would have been rude to measure someone of higher stand like that.

"What would make you think that, sensei?"

They were both carrying a big stack of papers through the school while the sky was beginning to turn orange. Only the clubs were still around, everyone else had already left.

"Well... how to put it..."

Saotome had a thoughtful gaze pass over the human-shaped Witch, which was categorised immediately. The woman was not sure whether she should tell her something... so they either found the corpse or she learned that one of her students had gone missing.

"I... got a call yesterday. They told me that Miki-chan is missing. You have been around her quite a bit for the last few weeks, so I wondered if you might have an idea."

The first part was true... and the last part a lie. Or at least not the whole truth. Now Lilly did raise an eyebrow after all and returned the teacher's look, who seemed surprised over the sudden action. "To be honest, I'm in a bad mood today... so I will be blunt. If you want to hear anything from me, I would like to hear your whole train of thought first. If you went by who was around Miki the most, you would have asked Kaname-san."

She was somewhat tired of all this indirectness and politeness, so she reduced it to the bare minimum and had the woman lower her head slightly. "You... You're really perceptive, Akemi-san."

She was not sure whether it was a compliment or just a statement. Whatever it was, the Witch smiled humourlessly and sighed. "Since this is about the only thing next to my fast memorisation I have going for me... yes, I am."

"Mhm... I noticed that you struggle with new material. You do manage, though?"

"Yes, I do. Thank you for worrying about that."

They both knew that Saotome was stalling time and once the teacher noticed that she knew that as well, she sighed and nodded. "I guess we're in for mean observations today... please forgive me for making assumptions like I did, but... well... I did noticed you brooding after lunchbreak and I did see how Shizuki and Kaname looked like when I took a look at them in the infirmary. They know something, I can tell that much. And I am rather sure that you're involved as well."

Adults were not stupid, especially not those concerned about their charges; she really should remember that in the future.

Lilly wondered. Should she tell this woman? Could she? Did she want to?

 _I'm a Witch. I can do whatever I want._

Nonetheless... why did she feel so responsible for what happened? She had every right to take the life she saved, especially when the alternative of not taking it would probably cost her own or worse.

On the other hand... what did she care about secrecy anymore?

"You're right, sensei. I am involved. Although I will deny to have ever said this, should you ask me about it again."

She closed her eyes while sensing the curiousity of the adult next to her. Fortunately, there was no one in close proximity, so at least the smell was bearable.

But what else to say? Now that Lilly admitted to knowing something, the woman would not let her off the hook... so...

"Miki Sayaka is dead. Lost the will to live, I guess. That's why those other two were so upset as well."

Her nonchalant tone had the teacher recoil a few steps and they stopped walking while cold purple met horrified brown. "W-What did you... you... you must be joking, Akemi-san..."

She was reluctant and confused for the conversation to take a turn like this. It only made Lilly sigh. "Just why are you humans so slow in understanding? I have no reason to lie about this and in all honesty, no good joke starts that way. The girl herself was one though, that I can admit."

No one would believe this woman even when she told others about her words. The Witch raised her eyebrow again as she noted the expression on Saotome's face. "I know what you think: that I might have some sort of mental problem and should go see a doctor... well, you're right. I am as broken a being as one could possibly be... but for other reasons than you think. Besides, I'm well aware of my condition. Complexes build character, sensei."

She shrugged off the topic and got moving again. Monologueing in front of a baffled human was a rather interesting experience, seeing that she could easily foresee the woman's responses and react to them.

It took a few seconds until quick steps brought the teacher back to her side. She did not run like one of the students would have, she did not shout at her or something like that... maybe the shock had yet to subside or maybe the cold from her voice reached the human's mind and had it enter a state of calm... the shock was more likely.

"Just... what happened? Please tell me..."

Saotome's voice was a few pecks duller than before and yet she inquired further. Lilly smirked and cast a sideway glance at the woman. "Are you sure you want to know? That might not be good for your sanity."

No response, just an expecting look. The Witch shook her head in amusement. "Really now, always curious about the realms beyond your understanding... I can understand this one, though. Curiousity is something I hold myself. Besides... you really should stop thinking that I have delusions. That's something I definitely don't have."

At least as far as she knew... maybe there were some, but that did not matter much. However, the older one flinched as she practically read her thoughts again -from Saotome's perspective, that was- and continued to stare at her; either because she had not idea what to say or because she hoped to get Lilly to talk. The eldritch being allowed herself a chuckle and returned her gaze to the path ahead. She kept quiet while another teacher passed them and bowed respectfully, getting a nod in return.

Once the man was definitely out of earshot, the Witch continued to speak: "You're not a bad person per se... so I think I will spare you from the truth, sensei."

As they reached their destination, she handed over the sheets to her teacher and continued to ponder what to do while the woman put them to where they belonged... whatever that was for. Saotome kept surprisingly quiet over this time.

Once the woman was done, Lilly showed her a small smile. "You should forget what I told you. Although I can already tell that you won't."

As the Witch turned around, she added one last thing: "A storm will come, sensei. It will hit the city at the last day of April. You don't believe me, I know. But once you hear that it's near, you will understand that my words are the truth."

A last glance was sent back at the confused teacher. "Don't try to look into the abyss. If you're unlucky, something from within might look back at you."

Those were the words she left the woman with.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Time went on and Homura wondered what exactly happened.

From that day onwards, Lilly would not go to school with her anymore. No one particularly bothered because the time traveler covered her Witch... although Madoka and Hitomi seemed to get better as time went on. However, the eldritch being was barely at home, either. Kyoko saw her occasionally when she roamed the streets and from what they could piece together, the Witch was hunting.

The body of Miki Sayaka was found on Monday morning already, but no one was told about it until Tuesday. Just as expected, the examination lead to believe that she died of natural reasons, although no one could understand how a perfectly healthy girl suddenly died over night.

The three veterans went to hunt Witches together, both to stock up on Grief Seeds and to maybe find out what Lilly was up to... her sister was rather unresponsive as of late and whenever Homura asked about why she isolated herself, the human-shaped Witch replied that she was planning.

Madoka occasionally accompanied them on the hunts, but stayed away most of the time while Hitomi did not even seem to care about all of this anymore. It was to be expected, seeing that the girl was not interested in forming a contract and blamed Miki Sayaka's death on this whole system. Which was true, after all.

A week had passed since that day and a mere four days remained until the arrival of Walpurgis. The other girls were tensing up noticeably and even Homura was less calm with every passing day. She did manage to cover her uneasiness, though. Once it was time to fight the Queen of Witches, she would definitely regain her cool. It had always been like this.

"Y'know... I really wonder why she's hunting all the Familiars..."

They were patrolling in search for Witches again, even Madoka joined them today. Kyoko referred to the fact that they did not manage to find even a single Familiar in the past few days; just traces of Lilly's aura.

"I guess that she goes after the prey that's useless for us", the time traveler replied to the redhead. Her Witch was maximizing the amount of Grief Seeds they could gain in the remaining time to ensure that neither of them ran out of magic in the final battle. Nonetheless, she was worried about Lilly's behaviour.

"Yuri-san has been awfully detached from us as of late... do you have really no idea why she acts like that?"

Mami's question was regarded with a shake of her head, just like any other time she asked about this particular topic. It came up at least once a day, but Homura still had no answer.

"Minimizing conflict, maximizing outcome."

There was a voice that sounded so much like her own right to their side and when the four girls turned their heads, they saw a familiar figure sitting on a low wall. Lilly wore a pleased smirk and nodded at them. "I thought you needed some time to think for yourself instead of shoving your thoughts onto me. And don't deny it, each of you did that at least once. Besides", the Witch added while the Magical Girls looked at each other -Homura was especially surprised about Kyoko having a conversation like this with her sister-, "you're rather slow as a group and on top of that... I can't do much with you around. I cleaned up in Kazamino while I was at it, that's where I got the Grief Seeds I gave you yesterday."

Mortal World's Witch jumped to the ground and sighed while motioning for them to keep walking. "That's done, though."

"So... I take it you will join us again?"

Mami received a nod that visibly lightened her mood... and Homura wondered just what exactly happened there. She felt a bond forming as well; it took just another moment before a voice called out to her mentally for the first time in a week: _'Besides, I needed some time to think myself. About where we're headed and what we want to do.'_

That was about what she suspected anyway. Her sister was not that unreadable after all.

 _"I see. Did you come to a conclusion?"_

She decided not to add that she was interested in what the Witch thought about... she already felt Homura's curiousity just as the time traveler felt her fear a week ago.

"Um... Yuri-chan?"

Madoka turning towards the Witch did not stop the latter from replying to her while she cast a glance at the pinkette: _'I did... it's something I don't particularly like, though. We will have some trouble with getting out of the trap Kyubey threw us into. Do you trust me?'_

"Yes?"

The question had her think. Did she trust her Witch? And what kind of trap was she talking about?

"P-Please tell me... what happened last week. I... I need to know!"

On the one hand, Lilly proved her trustworthiness more than once; she saved Mami from her own psyche and made her a reliable ally... Mortal World's Witch was just as devoted to their cause as Homura was herself and she was completely convinced of that. They were the same indeed.

"Are you sure you can take that?"

The time traveler did not really follow the discussion, she just noticed Kyoko's and Mami's interested expressions. She already knew what happened, so she could allow herself not to listen. Although Lilly's worry slightly pressed onto her mind.

"Y-Yes. Please tell me."

On the other hand... her Witch became more and more unstable as time went on. If she cracked before they were done, the situation might become far worse than it originally was. She went around on her own for a whole week and going by the aura she emanated, the eldritch being had eaten a lot.

"Let's see... I already got the feeling that she was doing something stupid, so I went after her. She already exhausted her magic to the maximum and her Soul Gem was completely black. Not much longer and she would have died anyway."

"But... I thought you can cleanse Soul Gems, Yuri-san?"

However, Homura was always on the edge herself. She held out until it was done so that she could finally let loose and die. Her hope kept her going with its intensity, but she knew that she could falter at any moment. That was why she opted to isolate herself to begin with, to not depend on anyone anymore. Lilly had a similar burden to carry by holding on to all those feelings the Magical Girl did not even admit to herself. They were the two sides of the same coin, cold and stoic Akemi Homura as well as burning, scheming Homulilly. Her ice was the counterpart of the fire burning within her Witch.

"Of course I can and I did. However, that included revealing myself as a Witch and you can guess how she took that... I really thought that the fact that I just saved her damned life would at least stop her from attacking me... which it did at that point. She got up, listened to reason and I walked her home. And for good measure, I kept an eye on her over the night. Everything was alright so far before she decides to take a stroll at three in the morning; I went with her just to make sure she really just wanted to take a walk... then I got careless for a moment and suddenly had her sword in my chest."

"That... that's awful..."

But did she trust Lilly?

Yes.

If there was any being out there she could place any trust on, it was herself and by extension, her Witch. Whatever she wanted to do, she thought it through in this week and therefore, Homura would trust her word.

 _"I trust you."_

"Don't tell me, I know. However, I'm not done yet."

As her sister continued to speak, a mental _'Thank you'_ was sent Homura's way and the Magical Girl could feel the gratefulness radiating from Lilly for a moment. Then the bond closed and signaled that they would talk later.

"So my situation was as follows: a cutlass is stuck in my chest and a partly restored Sayaka right behind me. Running is impossible because I could hardly move... so my instinct kicked in and I did the safest thing possible, which was to crush her Soul Gem and heal up."

The Witch had put a hand on her chest where the blade pierced her last week and shook her head slightly; the other girls had rather thoughtful expressions as they tried to imagine the situation. Madoka scooted closer to her, Homura noticed; the pinkette frowned, which was something she very, very rarely did. Lilly had her eyes closed and sighed. "I won't say that my actions were justified... but I won't accept it if anyone blames the whole fault on me. I was perfectly fine with letting her live."

That was simply lip-service and they all knew. Lilly was arguing as if she was human and some people tended to forget that she was not because of her appearance. Mortal World's Witch needed no 'justified' reason to kill someone, at least none that she could not stand for herself. On top of that, her sister would have taken the blunette's life far earlier, had it not been for Homura stopping her or the Witch realising the danger she would face in that case herself.

"Yes... I know... but... it's just..."

Madoka could not take it, just as they expected. On the other hand, it was better this way. If they kept this a secret from the pinkette, Kyubey would use it against them. Maybe that was the trap Lilly spoke about; their love was now at least partly afraid of them.

"I know and I won't hold it against you to blame me."

The time traveler cast a glance at her sister's back and wondered whether she really knew what to do. Madoka kept quiet and the other Magical Girls did the same while they continued to walk. Until the Witch that accompanied them pointed in a certain direction. "This way."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

While her mind was still a bit heavy from thinking about the situation so much, Mami found herself amazed by Yuri's capability in detecting Witches. It might also be because her own aura was messing up the signals their Soul Gems got, but she found the eldritch creatures with apparent ease. This was the first time the blonde actually experienced a hunt where they did not have to run after the trail for an hour or two, they just went to the place the Witch was hiding at directly.

 _So this is how she manages to get them so fast..._

She wondered about that before: just how was it possible for one person -even when they were a Witch- to get around fast enough to kill so many of those creatures in such a short amount of time. Now she knew: Yuri skipped half of the time by not following trails and going for... maybe the respective Witch's aura directly.

"I have been wondering, Yuri-san...", she noted as the group was closing in on the barrier their companion sensed. Mami could feel it closeby as well and so must Kyoko and Homura. "How... do you kill a Witch? From what I saw, you do not seem like an active fighter."

Was that just her imagination or did Yuri flinch at the last part?

"She's right, actually. I was curious how you're doing it, too."

So they did not tell Kyoko, either. Kaname seemed to be curious as well... but the blonde had the feeling that this question would remain unanswered. This Witch was far too secretive to just tell them, she understood that much by now.

"Pray that you never find out."

That was everything she said, which was both disheartening and concerning. A questioning look in Homura's direction had the other veteran shake her head. "I'm aware of how she does it... but it's not my place to tell you."

They entered the barrier at this point... and found themselves in mid-air, balancing on clotheslines with a large shape hovering far above. Madoka's surprised scream had them look her way, only to see the pinkette holding tight onto Homura's arm while the time-traveler carefully balanced them out. Yuri stood as calmly as Mami and Kyoko did.

"Patricia... she's floating up there and those shapes falling and sliding our way are her minions... ignore them, I take care of that."

The Witch reached over and took a hold of Kaname's other arm while Homura slowly detached herself from the pinkette. Once the raven-haired Magical Girl was free to move again, they started to head upwards.

 **. . .**

"Um... Yuri-chan?"

"Yes?"

She did not know how to phrase it. Technically, Yuri was Homura... but Madoka wondered whether it was really alright for the other girl to keep an arm around her waist like this.

Apparently, her thoughts were once again easily understandable to the Witch, seeing that she responded to them before the pinkette even said anything: "Do you prefer staying on those things all by yourself?"

A reluctant glance downwards, where a few clouds were floating, told her that she did not.

However, an amused giggle had her eyes return to the Witch next to her... only to see that she was doing something to the minions that went towards them. The Magical Girls already passed the group and it was... not far away anymore. Yuri had her free hand directed at them and moved her finger a bit... and every time she did that, one of the minions fell off the clothesline and down into the depths.

"I never thought this was so amusing."

The Witch seemed genuinely happy with what she was doing right now... and Madoka wondered once again just how different she might actually be. It was not that she could just forget about what happened to Sayaka... but the pinkette understood that it was really not Yuri's fault. She just defended herself... although that did not make it much better.

Nonetheless, she could at least get around with the Witch closeby... that was a good thing, right?

As of right now, she was curious about what happened there. Half of all the minions had been thrown down the clotheslines and a few more barely held onto them with the downsides of their...skates?

Now that Madoka took a closer look, she saw that what came towards them was a horde of lower bodies with black skirts. The point where the belly should start was just a black stump... and in difference to their black clothes and socks, the legs were of a pale white. A shiver ran through the pinkette while the creatures skated closer towards them and she felt the hand on her waist squeeze lightly.

"Relax. The most terrifying being in this barrier is right next to you."

It sounded like a joke, but could very well have been in earnest. Madoka was not sure whether she liked what Yuri just said in any way... and on top of that, she still felt uncomfortable with someone else being so close to her. On the other hand, she was used to be teased by Sayaka, so she could bear with it... and this was also an exceptional situation.

The girl sighed inaudibly and looked towards the minions, curiousity winning at last. "What are you doing with them?"

"Hm? Oh, exactly what it looks like; I'm flicking them off the clotheslines. Telekinesis is a great power to have."

That... already answered her question on how the Witch did that... had she known that this one would have come next? On the other hand, Telekinesis...

"No, I couldn't have used it to stop Miki."

"Huh? But... why?"

The pinkette did not even question that her current protector was practically reading her mind. She was confused about the fact that while Yuri had the ability, she seemed not to use it at that time...

 **. . .**

Which was something Lilly did not like to admit. It might have worked... but only for a short time. Her grasp on the Telekinesis became better over the past week, so that she could finally use it in battle, even if it was just for a short amount of time. The burst of strength she used to get the blunette away from her was the only thing she could do in this night.

However, her fear also prevented her from doing any less than neutralising the danger. That was second nature to her; if there was something that threatened her wellbeing, Homulilly either snuck around it, ran away or killed it. Whichever was easier, although she refrained from killing up until that point for Madoka's sake.

Unfortunately, there were no other options left at this point... so she did what she could. On top of that, Miki Sayaka would have come after her even if she stopped the girl in any less final way.

But how should she convey all that to this gentle being?

 _How about not at all?_

Lilly sighed and contemplated about what kind of Monday she had here once again. She was just a bit more than five weeks old and yet... this was a lot longer than many other Witches came to live after all. However, five weeks were not enough for her. She wanted months, years, decades. Maybe even centuries.

The remaining minions of the first group reached them and interestingly, even her malicious aura did not have them slow down. Even the most loyal of servants would at least hesitate to attack another Witch... except when they had no will of their own.

Whatever the reason, Lilly stopped time a moment before they hit her and gently pulled Madoka forward. "Come, I have to move."

The human girl was eyeing their discoloured surroundings with a slightly surprised expression as she followed. "You stopped time, right?"

So she knew that... it was to be expected, now that the eldritch being thought about it. Homura brought her along a week ago, so the pinkette already saw their powers in effect.

"Yes. Since I took responsibility for watching over you, I have to make sure that nothing gets past me while I eat."

They reached the first minion of the five and Lilly touched the creature to pull it into this realm. Upon regaining its colours however, it went limp and just hang in her hand. "As I thought, controlled by the Witch..."

"Um... while you... eat?"

As the raven-haired girl turned her head, her hand emanated the impulse she found was one of her very basics, although it took some experimenting and guesswork on her part to figure it out. "Yes."

The body of the minion became black and turned into a small orb.

Actually, the original process was the extraction of a human soul. Seeing that minions were practically beings whose soul manifested in matter, she could easily transform them as a whole. Something similar went to Kyubey, seeing that it seemed to create its bodies from the same substance.

The Witch felt the sudden disgust coming from Madoka when she put the small orb into her mouth. It was not much energy in it, either... but she had to make do.

"You... you actually eat something like that?"

From the sound of it though, the pinkette was more alienated by the fact that anyone would eat minions and not by her doing it right now. Lilly raised an eyebrow and eyed the girl. "I need to eat as well, you know? Human food has so little energy that I would need lots of it to stay healthy... and I doubt that you would want me to prey on people instead."

The thought of a human's taste sent shivers down her spine. It did not matter for how long she lived, Homulilly would definitely remember this awful taste for the rest of her life, even if it spanned a small eternity.

"Yuri-chan? Are you alright?"

So her discomfort was noticed. Madoka could make of that whatever she wanted, though; Lilly just nodded and pulled her forward again. "Yes... just a bad memory."


	30. Look Into the Abyss

Guess what? "A Wish Within Darkness" is now one year old. Happy birthday! *throws confetti*  
Er... yes; anyway, I figured that I should do something today... so here you go, one more chapter for everyone. This does not change anything about my schedule, though: there will be another chapter on Saturday, just as usual.

 **. . . .**

 **. . .**

 **. .**

 **.**

As they closed in on the Witch all those clotheslines were attached to, Homura still wondered. She had the time to do so as well, seeing that they let all the minions pass them and actively dodged their approach. Mami shot down a few that tried to jump them from above, but most of the creatures just went deeper to attack Madoka and Lilly. When the time traveler looked back once, she saw her Witch flicking the minions from the clotheslines and by now, she would have started to eat them.

 _What does she need so much energy for..._

They both knew that Homulilly would not be of much help in the upcoming fight. Walpurgis materialised without a barrier her sister could set on fire, which rendered her only actually effective ability useless. Therefore, there had to be something else Mortal World's Witch wanted to do... but what?

There were a few possible answers to that question. One was that Lilly prepared to jump through time, another that she amplified her other abilities to support them. Homura did not like the thought of the first option being true... if it was, this might mean that her sister saw this timeline as a lost cause. They made far more progress this time around than she made on any other attempt before. If even this was not enough... she stopped thinking about it.

The raven-haired girl could always ask the Witch for what she planned, of course. However, their conversation right before they entered the barrier indicated that she would not tell her anything this time around.

A short salvo from her assault rifle sent a group of five minions into oblivion while Mami bound together the clotheslines with a ribbon of hers. That action was familiar... they fought this creature together before. This time however, it was not the blonde and two rookies, but three veterans taking her on.

"Sakura-san!"

"On it!"

Kyoko jumped onto the pathway while the other two covered her approach. Homura eyed the Witch again, the several sets of arms sprouting from the "upper" body and the one pair coming out of the skirt that looked so much as if it belonged to a school uniform. She did not need Lilly to make a guess on what happened to this girl before she transformed. The thought had a shiver run down her spine... had some events played out differently, she might have ended like this herself...

 _But I didn't. I became a Magical Girl and I will continue on my path._

That thought marked the end of her pondering while the Witch's hands started to leash out on Kyoko, who simply jumped out of the way and ran up one of the arms with her spear pointed sideways. The hem of her dress was flowing in the wind and the redhead took another jump once she was right in front of the skirt, the momentum propelling her on top of the eldritch being. Another set of arms tried to hit her, only to fall off a moment later when the veteran started to spin her weapon around and let it split apart. Then she just fell downwards and cut the Witch in two at the point where the torso should be, using a near clothesline for support. Kyoko swung back up onto another line and skated downwards on top of a stray minion while showing them a thumbs up that had Homura raise an eyebrow. The redhead made the fight more of a show than was necessary. Besides, the creature was not yet dead, just severely wounded...

"Tiro Finale!"

It was dead when Mami's trademark-projectile hit home and ripped apart the two halves Kyoko left as they still tried to reattach themselves. The barrier started to fade and the three veterans landed on the ground rather distinctively: Homura with both legs firmly placed and a hand on her shield, Kyoko leaned against a wall and Mami with a graceful pirouette. The time traveler flicked her hair out of habit while Madoka and Lilly landed as graceful as two people could when they were still holding on to each other. They let go a moment after they reached the ground and the pinkette stumbled for a moment from the sudden shift; the Witch just pushed away a loose strand of hair and put another black orb into her mouth.

"I have to say, it's really easy with you guys watching my back."

Kyoko had a stick of Pocky in her mouth as she said that; her canine showed when she smirked at the other veterans. Mami smiled back and nodded. The blonde expressed her thoughts on this topic before, but the redhead was rather quiet about it up until now. Homura nodded as well while Lilly picked up the Grief Seed from the ground.

"Patricia, the Class Representative Witch..."

The object was tossed at the blonde, who catched it with ease while Kyoko eyed the second raven-haired girl. "That's maybe the weirdest title I've heard so far. What was yours again?"

The question had Madoka as well as Mami turn their heads first to the redhead and then to "their" Witch while Homura noticed that she indeed forgot to mention it. Lilly raised an eyebrow for a moment before replying: "Mortal World's Witch."

"So...", the other fifteen-year-old chimed in with a curious expression, "I take it every Witch has a title?"

As they continued on their path, her sister nodded at the older girl and sighed. "Each of us has a name and a title; Magical Girls are just not attentive enough to actually catch it. Not that any of you would care for that, either. I saw Elsa Maria, the Shadow Witch and Charlotte, the Witch of Sweets. You killed Gertrud, the Rose Garden Witch back when you first worked with Homura. Those are just very few of all the various beings my kind consists of."

"It doesn't matter, though", the time traveler herself broke into the thoughtful silence while exchanging a glance with her counterpart. "You are still unique."

Which only prompted a devious smirk from her sister, followed by a slight nod. "And the others are our prey."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Monday passed uneventful and when the sun rose to meet Tuesday over Mitakihara, its rays found the back of a girl looking down on the city. She sat on one of the highest buildings in the vicinity and her raven hair was flowing in the soft breeze.

 _Sixty hours until it ends..._

That was the amount of time she had left. Lilly wondered about how the battle would go, whether they would loose the other girls and what she did wrong in these weeks.

 _For one... bringing Madoka into this counts, even when the alternative is worse... I could fool Kyubey for longer than expected... although it may very well be that the rat knew it for a while before it brought the news to Mami and while I'm at it... the most obvious mistake is that I went out at night and without warm clothes. Getting sick at that point sent us on this path and almost got me killed._

 _Hm... Getting in contact with Kyoko and making her my ally worked out rather well... I just should have told her not to come talk to Mami about the Soul Gems._

Her mind slowed down at this point and the Witch let out a pleased sigh when she became aware of the warmth on her back for the first time. It was still spring, but the sun's rays were really nice. However, an addition to the previous train of thought had her good mood vanish as fast as it appeared: _and of course... I should just have let Miki Sayaka die._

This blunette meant far more trouble than she was worth, she always did. Why would Lilly believe that this could be changed, even for a second?

 _I guess... I was too full of myself after the success with Mami..._

At least the blonde became their ally instead of a mortal enemy. Nonetheless, the human-shaped Witch was not really happy with the situation. She herself stated to Homura that all three Magical Girls had to be saved in order to prevent Madoka's contract. They only managed to preserve two and one of those could still crack at any moment.

A bird was attempting to land on the roof she currently sat on; upon starting to sense her aura however, it quickly turned sideways and flew away.

On that note, Lilly was rather surprised that no one recognised her because of that effect yet. Even when her magic was still suppressed, the Witch would prompt any animal closer than five to ten meters to flee. The most vicious of dogs would refrain from barking at her, even when it was scaring a group of highschoolers with the loud noise just before. Cats vanished in every small hole they could find when she walked past as well.

On the one hand, Lilly was glad to be free of those filthy creatures... but on the other hand, this made her rather easily recognizable by someone who knew the signs. Especially now when her aura's influence was five times as strong and still grew. She already went over to conserve a part of her energy like she did before to prevent this from unsettling larger portions of animals around the city constantly; something like that would be noticed and it was bad enough that every bird around her flew away the moment she was even remotely close. No one noticed that it was because of her yet... but that could always happen.

 _That's beside the point..._

However, there was nothing more to ponder. Yes, her tongue slipped when she spoke with Saotome, but the woman either would just mark her as insane or think of her as a monster -both of those were true anyway.

Although it was interesting to observe the effect Kyubey achieved by simply bringing in Shizuki Hitomi. That girl had been completely outside of Lilly's predictions, a mistake that caused a lot of trouble.

 _With her in on everything, it was impossible to keep the secret from Madoka... and on top of that, the rat undermined the trust she held in us... I can see what you're up to, Incubator._

 _'What are you thinking about?'_ , a high-pitched voice made itself audible in her head as if on cue, followed by a familiar feline creature stting down on the ground a few meters away from her. However, this did not break through her thoughtfulness. This time, the Witch just let it sit there. She felt strangely melancholic.

"Why do you think I would tell you?"

Cold purple met blank red and the creature tilted its head. _'Evaluations reveal that your chances of success are effectively zero. Therefore, all your thoughts about a counter-strategy will be in vain. I was just curious about your reason to continue despite knowing that.'_

So she had it. There was something they could do to prevail, something unbelievably simple. Fortunately for them though, the Incubator could not piece it together.

Lilly's lips curled into a devious smile while she leaned back a bit, looking at the sky that was slowly taking on its usual blue. "Homura fights for the mere reason of saving Kaname Madoka and this is my own reasoning as well... but I also want this world to continue as it is."

 _'I see. Is that because you are a Witch?'_

The question had her chuckle and while she knew that she should not talk to the creature, it was way too much fun to taunt it like that. "I am Mortal World's Witch, the one that observes humankind. Should Madoka really form a contract and join my kin, there would be no world left to see."

Her words kept Kyubey thinking for a while and at this point, Lilly wondered whether she should just eat it to end the conversation. On the other hand... she was bored and talking with the rat was at least interesting for a while.

 _'So in short, you are doing this for your own wish?'_

"Yes."

This was something she forgot over the events of the first few weeks. Staying hidden and alive as well as gaining energy to accomplish the former two took up a lot of her mind. Then she had the trouble with Sayaka... Lilly just forgot that saving Madoka was not her own wish per se, even when she agreed with it.

 _'In this case... I'm really sorry that it turned out like this. Maybe we could have gotten along if the circumstances were different, seeing that my task is not that different from the role you yourself found in this world.'_

Had this come from any other being, she might have been offended by it. Since this was Kyubey, she was not. Either was it actively trying to upset her or simply had no idea what those words might lead to. Nonetheless, the human-shaped Witch snorted and raised an eyebrow. "Now who told you that phrase? I hate you and your kind with all of my being, that will never change. Although you are right, our respective tasks are not that different."

Of course the creature was not here just to chat, it wanted something. However, Lilly's patience was running out and she closed in on the point where she stopped to care what it had to say.

 _'Seeing that you seem to be aware of the fact that you can not win against Walpurgis... do you plan on crossing over to another timeline to begin anew?'_

So this was what it wanted. In fact, the Witch played with the thought. However, she was still unsure whether she could actually do that... but if she could, there was a whole variety of new ideas at her disposal.

On the other hand, this bore the risk of failure. If it did not work... she might either be stuck in this timeline or lose herself in the stream of time. However, neither of this concerned Kyubey... what was it up to?

"And what if I do?"

The cretaure tilted its head once again. _'I have to recommend not to attempt that. Didn't Madoka become more powerful with every timeline you passed?'_

This particular question had Lilly pause for a moment. Yes, she wondered about this before, but never managed to find a good answer. With how the rat voiced it...

"You mean that our time travel made her stronger?"

The Incubator turned its head to look out onto the city, either for dramatic effect or because something piqued its interest. _'So I was right. Akemi Homura abandoned timeline after timeline with only one goal: to save Kaname Madoka. Thus, everything she left behind warps around the current Madoka and therefore, a girl that should barely have any potential at all has to shoulder the karmic burden of several worlds. This explains her enormous potential at last.'_

It did... and the Witch did not like it. Did that mean that the pinkette would only grow more powerful as a Magical Girl and thus more terrifying after transforming? On the other hand... Lilly had an idea that made her smile again. "Say... what if we went to make her ever stronger... and then just have her wish away entropy?"

Kyubey just swished its tail back and forth for a few seconds, apparently pondering her question. While it did that, Mortal World's Witch wondered about why she was idly discussion possible strategies with it. But then again, this was the only being that could answer a question like this. She just had to be careful not to fall for one of its schemes.

 _'As she is now, Madoka could become a goddess if she wanted to. However... changing the fundamental laws of the universe is impossible even for beings this powerful. Entropy would not bow to her... although it might be possible if you managed to go through two or three times as many timelines as you left behind already. On the other hand, I do believe that the being known as Kaname Madoka would implode from all the karmic energy long before you reached that point.'_

So it was not possible. Wait... it said that it "believed", not that it knew... on the other hand, Lilly was well aware of how fragile humans actually were. Besides, sacrificing so many timelines simply for an insane plan was something neither her nor Homura would accept. Failing so much more was out of the question anyway.

"Hm... so... what if we just brought her to wish for every Incubator to die?"

Now she was simply messing with it. Lilly knew that something like this would not work herself. Kyubey on its part did not take any offense from what she said and responded: _'This would not work. In order for the wish to actually target my race, Madoka needs to be aware of both its existence and its name. If she was not, the target would become the machines humans utilise to breed eggs. In other words: You needed to manipulate her to knowingly commit genocide; an act Kaname Madoka would never accept.'_

Just as she thought herself. The Witch rolled her eyes and swung her legs back onto the roof. It was time to leave anyway. "I guess the last one was to be expected. We'll see what Thursday brings. Oh and besides..."

As the creature turned its head, she already had it in her hands. "Thanks for the food."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

The girl was back.

Kazuko did not react to her presence, even when there were a few questions she really wanted to ask her. Those cold words still rung in her ear: _' "Don't try to look into the abyss. If you're unlucky, something from within might look back at you." '_

This girl told her a week ago that a storm would hit Mitakihara and just yesterday...

"Listen up, everyone. As a matter of safety, us teachers were told to inform you about something urgent. Those of you that watch the news might already know, but a large storm will form over this city tomorrow."

The announcement came in last evening and they had to react fast. The woman was still not sure what to make of the fact that Akemi Yuri knew about this so long in advance, although she never told anyone about that; after all, the girl stated that she would deny all of it before.

"For reasons of safety, every citizen will be moving to one of the three shelters until it passed. If you don't know which one to go to, you can look it up. Also, school is cancelled for both tomorrow and the Friday afterwards, as are club activities and cleaning duties today. All of you are dismissed after lunchbreak to prepare."

That was about everything she had to say on that topic and the seriousness of the situation started to settle into her students as well. Although Kazuko noticed that neither of the Akemi's looked bothered by the news -considering that they apparently knew beforehand, why would they be?- and that Kaname was eyeing the raven-haired girl sitting in the front.

Something was up, but the brunette could just not put it together. The twins would not tell her anything and pressing Madoka so soon after the death and burial of her childhood friend was something she did not want to do. Junko told her that the girl was definitely keeping secrets and not even she could read her own daughter.

With everything that happened, Kazuko did not dare to bring it up. She needed at least some proof for whatever theory she could form, but she had none. It bothered her and on top of that, she did not know whether Akemi Yuri was simply refusing to let her in on what happened or if she was serious with her warning and the teacher should stay out of it.

For one insane moment, the middle-aged woman thought about calling the girls out on what they were hiding right now, amidst the murmuring of their classmates... but that would be no good, not at all.

Kazuko righted her glasses with an inaudible sigh and went back to the usual routine.

 **. . .**

Of course she had known already. Hitomi made it her own task to watch the news every morning while eating breakfast. Seeing that her parents both went to work rather early and she had no one else to talk to before meeting with her friends on the way, that became a nice habit to have. On top of that, she could stay informed about recent events.

If the green-haired girl actually knew enough Kanjis, she might have even started to read the newspaper. As it was, she decided to start with that once she entered high-school a while ago.

Right now however, Hitomi's thoughts were with nothing of the sort. She delayed her confession after what happened to get over the loss of her friend first.

Unfortunately though, knowing the person that outright murdered Sayaka did not help to improve her mood at all. She was not angry, no... Yuri made her case and going by what she learned before, Hitomi was inclined to believe her... but that did not mean that she was able to either forgive or forget about what happened.

When her gaze wandered over to where the other girl sat, the one thing she told her on the way here before taking more distance did not want to leave her mind. It bothered Hitomi that she most likely failed to understand it.

 _' "Don't worry. I won't be around for much longer. That solves your problem, too." '_

There had been no one else around to hear it, seeing that Madoka went ahead with Homura. However, the only thing Hitomi could think of for this to mean was that Yuri planned to die very soon... but why and for what purpose?

When the fourteen-year-old cast a glance at the creature pretending to be human, an indifferent purple stared right back at her. She did not look like someone preparing to die... but on the other hand, she also looked like a human while she was not.

 _This is so confusing..._

 **. . .**

While the rest of class went normally, Madoka wondered constantly. She paid about no attention to the various teachers at all; her gaze was fixed on Homura most of the time.

They kept at a distance for the last week, maybe because the other girl wanted to give her some space... however, the pinkette asked herself how her feelings were changed by what happened before. Yes, she still wanted to go out with the Magical Girl, but she simply felt not ready to face her properly just yet. On top of that, Homura prepared for the coming of Walpurgis, so she was busy as well.

 _I just hope that everything will be fine..._

From what the others told her, the Witch that was to appear tomorrow was also the reason of the storm... or rather that regular people perceived it _as_ the storm. A being so powerful that it could level the entire city... were her friends really strong enough to defeat it?

 _Mami-san, Kyoko-chan, Homura-chan... and Yuri-chan, too..._

She came to like them all despite everything that happened. The thought of losing them... or the people in this city... it made her heart throb in pain.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When they were dismissed, Homura was one of the last to leave. She walked outside with her sister, who emanated a strange feeling of serenity. She already did that the prior evening and never stopped. Somehow, the time traveler was not sure how to put it.

When their eyes met however, cold purple met fiery purple and Lilly smiled. "Don't worry. We will succeed."


	31. So The Time Has Come

It should be a bright afternoon... but instead of the sun's warm rays falling onto the city of Mitakihara, it was the shadow of black clouds that told of the storm soon to begin.

Inside of a large hall, a certain family was preparing the place they had been given for the next, unpleasant night. However, one of its members sat at the side, deep in thought. Concerned pink was directed to the far side of the wall and quickly snapped aside when a hand was placed on the girl's shoulder. "Why are you so gloomy, Madoka?"

The girl flinched and almost jumped, but got a hold of herself before she did. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she stopped noticing anything around her. Now that her family became aware of her condition, she quickly shook her head and held up her hands in a defensive manner. "Ah, no - it's nothing... um..."

Kaname Junko was not fooled that easily and the pinkette knew that herself, so she shrank a bit and quickly muttered a white lie that was also true in some way: "Well... it's just... I haven't seen Homura-chan, so..."

Now she got a lenient smile from her mother and a pat on the head. "I see. It's only natural to be concerned, but there is nothing we can do right now. Why don't you help us set everything up? That will take your mind off of the problem for a while."

"Uh... okay."

 **. . .**

At the same time, a certain middle-aged brunette looked up at the clouds in worry, as did a lime-haired teenager. Neither of them knew what the other was doing and yet their thoughts were circling around roughly the same thing: what was actually happening out there?

And on top of that, what consequences would it have?

 **. . .**

Out in the barely illuminated city, four girls stood among a walkway overseeing the river that was quietly flowing down beneath. Everything around them was greyish and black while their colours seemed to be the only ones around. A blonde, a redhead and two raven-haired girls stood and watched the malevolent sky, the latter two flanking the former. Homura and Mami were clad in their school uniforms while Kyoko was wearing her usual outfit; Homulilly donned her preferred black dress. They were silent, seeing that everything had been said already.

"Nicht mehr lange." (Not much longer.)

Upon hearing the strange words coming from their right, the three Magical Girls turned their heads towards the Witch that was not paying any attention to them. She just continued to speak: "Die Königin der Hexen naht, ich spüre es." (The Queen of Witches is close, I can feel it.)

Then however, she became aware of the confused stares the others were giving her and turned her head. "Was ist?" (What is it?)

Kyoko was the first one to comment on the situation: "Can't you speak Japanese anymore? I don't understand anything you're saying!"

Which prompted a nod from the other two that had Lilly raise an eyebrow. "Warte mal, was meinst... oh." (Wait a second, what do you... oh.)

Mortal World's Witch put a hand on her throat, although it wandered down to her chest a moment later and the raven-haired girl took a deep breath before returning to the language all of the girls understood: "That was... strange. Since when do I speak that language? Which one is it even?"

Then her eyes turned back to the sky before any of them could answer to her musing. "Maybe it was because of her? Walpurgis' presence is already really strong... I guess I'm the only Witch remaining in this city. All the others already fled."

As her sister said this, Homura took note of another fact: Lilly's hands were shaking ever so slightly.

Despite the firm voice she had, her own Witch was afraid.

Then the eldritch being shook her head and sighed. "I wonder if I can continue speaking like this or not... it took a bit of effort to switch my thoughts back into Japanese and I didn't even notice before you told me."

"This is not the time for experiments", Homura reminded her sister while raising her Soul Gem. A parade led by a set of green elephants started to march past them and even the time traveler herself could feel it now. "Here she comes."

Neither of her companions paid attention to the eldritch procession while flashes of purple, red and yellow light illuminated their surroundings for a moment as their clothes changed into their attire and the Magical Girls readied themselves. Mami raised one of her flintlock rifles while Kyoko brandished her spear before resting it on her shoulder. Homura herself put a hand on her shield and felt the magic flowing through it. The parade grew ever larger and a gargantuan shadow started to materialise in the distant sky.

"You should get going. We will do as planned."

The time traveler would start the initial assault while Kyoko intercepted Walpurgis' minions and finished them off. Mami was to outflank the Witch with a barrage of her own while Lilly and Homura kept distracting it.

The other three nodded before both red and yellow jumped away to get into a better position. Lilly kept looking up at the Witch with an unreadable expression before exchanging one last glance with her sister. Then she jumped away as well.

 _And now to you..._

Her determination was unbent and with but a thought, a hundred Rocket Launchers materialised all around her.

 **. . .**

Before Mami even reached the position she wanted to take, she saw a swarm of projectiles fly past her and hit the towering form of Walpurgis with large explosions. Looking back showed her just a large amount of discarded weapons and no Homura.

 _So this is..._

The raven-haired girl was pouring her whole arsenal and now the blonde understood just what exactly bothered her the past weeks: her companion always used firearms from pistols to assault rifles when they hunted. The other veteran would sometimes use a grenade or pipe bomb to finish the job, but never heavier weapons.

Now she knew where they all went.

However, the maniacal yet gleeful laughter of the Queen of Witches was upsetting and even another set of explosions that lit the creature did not stop it from doing so. While Mami jumped towards a place where she could shoot properly -one of the largest buildings in the city- she turned her head to the other side, only to find a set of mortars and a fuel truck driving off with a certain Magical Girl on top.

Somehow, this sight instilled fear into the blonde. To see just what kind of destructive potential she almost made her enemy... Homura had always been superior to her in that regard.

 _Here!_

A last quick jump brought her onto the desired building while the truck rammed right into Walpurgis' face and exploded. At the time Homura resurfaced from the sea below the bridge while standing on a small gunboat, Mami started to summon her rifles en masse; when the ships' missiles hit the Witch and threw her backwards with a lot of force, she added her own projectiles to the mix.

Since the onslaught of the time traveler threw Walpurgis around like paper in the wind, the Witch was between the two Magical Girls at this point. Which in turn meant that the hail of golden bullets hit it in the back and the sudden counteractive force had the missiles explode as well, thus covering the lower body of the Witch with smoke. The gears on top of it did not stop turning, though; once it became visible again, Mami saw that all of this barely scractched the navy blue dress the eldritch being wore. However, now it was looking at Mami with this large, empty mouth while continuing to laugh.

Then she felt the ground shake and herself rise higher into the air.

 _What?!_

Looking down revealed that the whole building was flying, which was definitely not Yuri's doing. Which in turn meant that Walpurgis was levitating a skyscraper... and sent it flying somewhere with Mami still on top.

The blonde quickly jumped off the impromptu projectile and caught her fall with a well-placed ribbon to the closest building, another skyscraper that was still standing on the ground. She heard more explosions and knew that Homura continued her assault, thereby gaining the creature's attention again.

The Magical Girl had the ribbon in her hand shorten so that it propelled her upwards. Carried by the momentum, Mami managed to reach the top of the building and take a better look at the situation, only to see a glimpse of blue go down in the old stadium at the border of the construction site... before the whole building exploded to an earth-shattering roar and a single, large gust of fire grew into the sky.

Flashes of red to her right told the blonde that Kyoko was fighting her own opponents as well and from the look of it, there were quite a few of them. Phantom-like creatures whose exact shape the blonde could not determine because she was too far away. With how many swarmed the redhead, Mami might have been worried; had it been anyone but Kyoko fighting there, that was.

Then however, the smoke rising from the place where the Witch had been before dissipated and revealed another group of minions charging Homura, throwing her backwards. Walpurgis emerged soon after... completely unscathed from the attack.

The sight had her stomach hurt.

 _All of this and still..._

This was far more destruction than the blonde herself could even bring upon anything and this being shrugged it off as if it was just a gust of air.

Nonetheless, they would carry on to protect Mitakihara.

 _'This sure is bothersome'_ , a voice stopped her from jumping off the rooftop to help Homura out with the minions. When Mami looked aside, she saw Kyubey sitting on the railing next to her and looking up at the laughing Witch in the sky. Maybe it would have been better to ignore the feline creature completely, but the blonde had not seen him... it around ever since that event with Shizuki. What did he... it want?

The usual piercing stare was sent her way and Kyubey tilted its head. _'They really didn't tell you, now did they?'_

This particular question gave her pause. Who did not tell her something? And what?

In the same moment however, Mami remembered who exactly was talking to her. This had to be some trick again and realising this made the blonde frown. Kyubey just averted its gaze and jumped down to the ground. _'I guess you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Although I wonder... did you never wonder why exactly Akemi Yuri resembles Akemi Homura to the hair?'_

Before she could come up with an answer, the creature already vanished into the shadows.

 **. . .**

Everything went according to the course of action it decided to take. Which was worrisome in itself, at least to the Incubator.

 _'Homulilly must know or at least suspect this, yet she did not take any precautions.'_

As the body it used to talk to Mami returned into the active reserve, Kyubey redirected the focus it needed to control this one to the conversation with Madoka. Not much longer until the girl would walk out into the city to protect her friends.

Nonetheless, some part of its mind was still wondering about this. The fact that the paradoxical Witch of Akemi Homura was obviously gathering as much energy as possible and her confidence in the situation suggested that there was something the Incubator missed out on, yet it could not determine what exactly it was.

On the other hand, it was unlikely that Kyubey could not come up with a solution to whatever Mortal World's Witch was planning. Therefore, it put aside the problem to be reevaluated at a later point in time. The conversation with Madoka came to a close as well.

 **. . .**

When Walpurgis emerged again and Homura had to retreat from the charging minions, Lilly decided to try and strike. The scent of the Queen of Witches was distracting at best, yet she managed to keep calm. Something about it was strange anyway, especially since it made her speak in a foreign language, whichever it was. However, she could not put it. Not now.

With a bit of help from her Telekinesis, the human-shaped Witch propelled herself upwards and shot past the gargantuan being. As she passed Walpurgis, Lilly spat out purple fire that started to eat into her dress.

 _'Well... maybe that's it... but I doubt that.'_

When she turned her head a moment later, she saw the fire subside after eating away a small portion of the dress of maybe a square meter. Unfortunately though, this was the highest amount of damage they inflicted on it up until now and on top of that... the creature noticed Lilly. A sudden shift in the magic all around her indicated this as well and Walpurgis started to float after her, the gargantuan presence trying to get a hold of the smaller one. Kyubey stated before that this Witch was a fusion of many others; now she wanted to put her into the mix.

 _Too bad for you._

Lilly pondered before whether it was possible to lead this being out of the city, but deemed it impossible. She could try that some other day if necessary.

Right now, she stopped time and jumped over to another of the few buildings that still remained on the ground. Most of it was floating through the sky by now.

As time resumed, the eldritch creature suppressed a part of her aura for two reasons: one was that the others could not track her right now, the other was that the Queen of Witches should not do that either.

Lilly knew that what she wanted to do was insane, suicidal even. And yet, this was the only way that might work, the only attempt she could get around the Incubator.

Kyubey underestimated the despair of humans, the driving force of Witches.

Her lips curled into a devious smile while she started to make her way around the lower alleyways.

 **. . .**

They just kept on coming. Kyoko lost count of how many minions she defeated before and there was still no end to them. She already went so far as to summon one of her larger spears to stand on just because the damned Witch in the sky could not rip this out of the ground.

However, this did not change the fact that she was in a bad position. The minions did not attack the redhead directly but tried to jump her and tie her to the ground. If she was immobilised, she lost. To make things worse, those things had the outlines of girls and continuously giggled while charging her.

It was annoying to the point that she almost started to curse at the creatures for existing. Before she did however, the roar of firearms filled the sky and a hail of golden bullets eradicated a good part of the circle around her. Looking up, Kyoko saw a familiar shade of yellow fall towards her and felt a sudden surge of relief. Mami came to help her, although that meant that Homura and Yuri were alone with Walpurgis... speaking of which, she could not sense her anymore.

 _Might be that stupid clown up there..._

After all, this creature's presence was definitely capable of overshadowing a smaller one.

"How is it going, Kyoko?"

They stood back to back and eyed their surroundings with Mami shooting down a few minions that were to close. The redhead sighed and sliced apart one that decided to charge right now. "Could be better, really. I can hold out, though. You've seen Yuri around?"

There was a moment of silence before Mami responded: "Not since we separated..."

The blonde sounded a bit off, but there was no time to think about it. Kyoko muttered under her breath before launching the spear she stood on upwards, so that both Magical Girls could get a better view of the city.

It did not look good for Mitakihara... most of the suburbs were lying in ruins and most of the impressive skyscrapers were either reduced to rubble or hovering in the air before shooting off at a distant target and thus becoming the aforementioned. Flashes of blue-violet fire from Walpurgis were flying after something they could barely make out and they only managed to do so because of their magically enhanced eyes; it was Homura who held a heavy machine gun in her hands and jumped around the rooftops, apparently to gain a better position.

"That's not good. We've got to help her."

They exchanged glances and nodded at each other before jumping off.

 **. . .**

Another gaze was lying on the havoc the Queen of Witches wreaked by now. The sight almost brought her to tears and even more so when she saw that Walpurgis was almost unharmed, even after more than half an hour passed since the battle started.

 _So it really is true... I have to do something!_

The thought both upset and calmed her mind. Now that she decided upon what to do at last... but then again, doubts still lingered and her gaze fell onto Kyubey once more. The creature sat to the pinkette's feet and swished its tail back and forth while watching the battle.

Madoka thought about contacting Yuri or Homura for a moment... but this was not possible right now. Besides, Kyubey was right in saying that at least the Witch followed her own agenda and tried to keep things from her. She was not sure whether she could trust Yuri on this particular topic and as much as it hurt her to admit: the same went for Homura. They both had their good reasons to try and stop her... but this was a fight they could not win.

 _Focus, Madoka! Decide on a wish..._

But even after all this time, she had none. Nothing that she really figured was worth fighting for. On the other hand... even when it was to cost her life or make her unhappy later on, she could not allow the destruction to reach the residential area, all of their houses...

As if on cue, the Incubator tilted its head and looked at her, maybe it even took note of the determined expression she wore for a change... it did not matter.

 _'So the time has come. Tell me, Madoka: what wish will make your Soul Gem shine?'_

Here it was, the moment of truth.

"Kyubey... I wish for the power to kill this Witch."

This was what she decided on and the moment Kaname Madoka finished speaking, she felt pain race through her entire body. A large beam of pink energy shot into the sky all around her and had her hair hover around. Every muscle started to hurt and her heart raced for a few seconds, the pinkette's legs gave out and she sat on the ground when it all stopped. She felt something warm right in front of her and when she opened her eyes, there was a bright, pink light.

 _'Your wish has surpassed entropy. Now take it, Madoka. And let your new powers loose.'_

She reached out with her hands and held onto the light, only to feel it subside and become matter, a small gem that was shining in a bright pink.

 **. . .**

She had known that something went wrong the moment Kyoko started cursing. A strong, pink light suddenly emanated from a few hundred meters away and prompted them both to stop. It could only mean one thing: _Kaname-san formed a contract with Kyubey..._

So the Akemis failed with what they were trying to do... on the other hand though, this might not be that bad. Their chances to beat Walpurgis had been small to begin with and it did not look as if they could still win. So maybe...

"Oh, that damn idiot! Change of plans, Mami: we're going over to where pinky is. As in right now!"

And with that, the redhead was off, jumping towards the place where Kaname stood and emanated pink light again. She transformed.

 **. . .**

When Homura saw what was happening, it was already too late. The pillar of light indicated that Madoka already became a Magical Girl and even when the time traveler wanted to do something, she noticed something devastating: the sand on her shield had run out.

This realisation was followed by a skyscraper crashing into the building she stood on and sending her flying.

While her slender body was flung through several walls, Homura felt her whole ribcage shatter and once she came to a stop after smashing against a wall that held her flight with a wet thud, the girl felt something run down her forehead.

Rubble held down her broken leg and even when she blocked out the physical pain, she knew that she was beaten. Another crack formed in her resolve, far deeper than those before. They failed even with Lilly's plan.

Nonetheless, she had to carry on. Akemi Homura would not give up!

When the Magical Girl reached for her shield to turn it around though, a familiar voice had her stop: "Not yet."

Lilly was slowly walking over the rubble and entered her field of vision while crushing crumbly concrete and shards of glass under her feet. The Witch did not show any emotion, her face was completely blank... no, that was not true. Homura had just that blury a vision that she did not notice the constant trickle of tears flowing down her cheeks at first.

When her sister came to kneel by her side and gently embraced her, the time traveler lost the last bit of understanding for the situation. What did all of that mean? Why was the Witch insisting on continuing while crying like this?

On top of that, her sister did not actually cry or sob while she held her. It felt nice and warm as the malevolent aura surrounded them both, even when it failed to illuminate her Soul Gem, just as always.

"I'm sorry, Homura. Can you hold out a little longer? The plan proceeds constantly... and as much as I hate to say that to you right now: everything goes just as I wanted it to go."

The constant strain on her magic that her body used to regenerate after it took care of the internal bleedings dulled her mind... but once she actually understood the meaning behind Lilly's words, her racing thoughts paused and she stared at the Witch in disbelief and horror. "You... you _planned_ for this outcome?"

When the other raven-haired girl nodded slightly, Homura slumped down onto her back and just continued to stare. She was betrayed by her very self... was there really absolutely no one she could trust?

"And I hate myself for it... please believe me that I honestly tried to save her... but somewhere deep down, I realised that this timeline was lost... so I created a new plan that exploits all the openings Kyubey left this time. I have not given up and I will not give up; and neither did you. I know how much of a hypocrite I sound like right now... but please trust me one more time. Let me finish this stage of the plan before doing something that can't be taken back, okay?"

A surge of emotion raced through Homura's dull mind and she wanted to do something. Crying out against this fate of hers, screaming at the universe for the atrocities it committed, screaming at Lilly for her deeds... but after all, she could feel that the Witch was right, that she really regretted. Homura knew because they were so similar.

"Okay."

The fractured bones in her left arm were slowly putting themselves back together, but it would take a bit longer before she could hope to stand up. Lilly let go of the crushed girl and showed her something that was both upsetting and calming: the Witch smiled gently. For the only time ever since they met, this eldritch being displayed something else as content, anger or fear.

"Thank you. You should rest up here until I'm done. But before I go..."

A lithe finger was placed on her Soul Gem and took away the dirt that gathered there over the last hour. The Witch put the resulting black orb in her mouth and started chewing while slowly lifting up the boulder that fell on Homura's leg. As she put it down next to the slowly recuperating Magical Girl, they exchanged a last glance. The tears had stopped and Lilly's gaze was of iron again. She nodded slightly and vanished.

 _Was this really the right thing to do..._

Homura was torn. It still felt like betrayal even when her sister might have had a good reason for this... on the other hand, it was likely that she just saw no other chance to save this timeline and decided to make the best of it... the time traveler could not put her at fault for this, no matter how much she wanted to right now.

 _Focus. Do not give in, do not give out. Waiting for Lilly while healing up before preparing the jump back. If the two of us manage to go back together... that should be an improvement._

Busying herself with planning the next half hour or so would at least take her mind from the situation, from her failure. It clamped down on her heart, but there were no tears. The liquid on Homura's forehead was dry by now and the Magical Girl just stayed where she was, lying on the ground and covered in her own blood and sweat.

She was waiting.

 **. . .**

The immense surge of magical power emanating from Madoka distracted Walpurgis... not that the Witch would have bothered with her sister anymore once she hit her with that building. The mere thought of how many bones in that slender body were broken had Lilly shiver. She could survive this as well of course... but she knew that it would hurt terribly.

When Mortal World's Witch left the ruin Homura was in, she saw a large and pink set of circles appear in the sky above the other eldritch creature before a hail of arrows rained down on it. The scene froze at the point where the first projectiles tore apart the hem of Walpurgis' dress when Lilly stopped time. She needed to get closer and suppress her presence even more, although the latter could wait until she reached a certain point.

On top of that, she could make out Mami and Kyoko that were amidst another jump towards the source of the arrows... Madoka was already kneeling on the ground after using that attack, which made the Witch cringe. No human being could sustain something this powerful, no matter how strong they were. Not like this.

There was another hole in her plan; she never told Madoka about the origin of Witches. Therefore...

 _She never realised the risk._

But then again, it would not have changed anything. Homura's last attempt ended the very same way when the gentle pinkette knew about what awaited her.

Now she had two options: kill the girl before she became a Witch... or let her be.

Homura did it before... but even when knowing that, Lilly could not do the same. It would not change anything about her death and yet, her love prevented her from doing anything. She felt her face fall.

It hurt. This whole day hurt. Not only to see Homura like this or be aware that there was indeed a Witch she could not kill... all of this was painful to see. But the greatest pain of all was yet to come.

This did not mean that she would stop, though.

Fortunately for her, the building Madoka stood on was still standing, so she could hide right below the roof and wait for the inevitable.

Time resumed.

 **. . .**

They were not far away anymore and Kyoko already feared for the worst. She had no time to be impressed by that large, annihilating attack that just came from the timid girl she met a good two weeks before, not right now. She had to hurry and help her or else they had to deal with a Witch far worse than the dying Walpurgis. Yuri would grill her if she let that happen and to be honest with herself... the redhead put a liking to this kind pinkette; she did not want her to end like this.

Before they were even remotely close though, Kyoko saw Madoka kneel down in apparent pain and cry out while the last few of her arrows finished off the Queen of Witches.

"Kaname-san!"

Mami's scream next to her did not reach the girl and even when they increased their speed, they had to take one more jump before they reached the hurting girl... and as they were still in the air, the lancer came to see it for the very first time: the black Soul Gem she held out to the sky broke apart; something like a dark lightning strike shot into the few still lingering clouds, which began to change their shapes and groaned. The Grief Seed was clearly visible for a full five seconds before it shot upwards and met with the monster forming above while the now limp body fell to the ground.

 _Oh no..._

Even when Kyoko was battle-hardened and jaded, seeing this happen to someone hit her deeper than she liked. The fact that Madoka was a bit like her baby sister Momo might have been playing into this... but why would she care for that right now?

"What... Kaname-san just..."

They landed and Mami's eyes wandered back and forth between the corpse in front of them and the shadowy form above that was rising ever higher towards the sky while growing constantly. It did not seem to care for them... and yet its aura was so violently strong that their Soul Gems were glowing brighter than they ever did before.

The mere feeling of how much eldritch might was in this creature tempted Kyoko to flee, to turn around and just run away. But where to go to? Knowing no answer to that question, she stayed.

The horror about the creature that just came into existence wore off bit by bit and was replaced by disappointment in herself. Had she noticed Madoka sooner, she might have been able to stop her. She should have at least killed her off before that could happen... but the redhead was too late even for that.

"S-So... we all end up as Witches? Was it this?"

The sudden question had her turn around... only for everything to fade into black. The last thing Sakura Kyoko heard was the sound of a small explosion.

 **. . .**

When shards of the red crystal rained down upon the top of the building and the other veteran's body followed right after, Mami lowered her rifle and looked upon what she just did with teary eyes. Even when she might never be able to forgive herself for it, it had to be done.

 _So this is what Kyubey meant... they never told me that Magical Girls will become Witches in the end. Why Yuri-san resembles Homura-san... this means that she is her Witch, then... It does not matter. If we all have to become Witches, all of us have to die before that happends._

This train of thought brought her to a major problem: there was just Kyoko around her. Both Homura and Yuri were nowhere to be seen and even when the sky cleared and the towering abomination that was once Kaname Madoka went further into the distance -while it loomed as high as a mountain even from afar-, the blonde was unable to locate either of the two.

"You know... you're really easily predictable. I had my reasons not to tell you that particular detail, now didn't I?"

When she heard the voice she was now so familiar with, Mami whirled around and aimed her musket... but Yuri just sat there with her back turned, looking out onto the ruins of Mitakihara and the gargantuan being in the distance. Now she also felt the comparably smaller Witch being there, albeit just barely. Maybe she suppressed her aura before.

The fact that a weapon was aimed directly at her did not seem to disturb the eldritch being, though.

"I know I should be afraid of her... but I am not. I can smell it openly, indulge in thought and good intentions turned black... Kriemhild Gretchen, the Witch of Salvation. She wants to save everyone, I can tell... but as it stands, she will eradicate all human life on this planet in a matter of days."

The casual mentioning of all of this gave her pause and made her look at the abomination in horror, yet Mami did not lower her musket. She would not yet shoot because she wanted to know the whole truth.

"Remember what I told you about that girl that snapped? You can guess what it was she learned that made it happen. I was well aware of what would happen today and you should be aware that you were once again tricked by Kyubey."

She did not make any attempt to look at her now, either. The blonde took a step back in surprise when her mind returned to the girl's earlier words and she had to gulp down the lump in her throat. But if Yuri knew...

"If you knew about all of this to happen... why did you not try to stop me? You could have easily saved Kyoko"

The Witch kept quiet for a while as they looked out onto the flooded and rippled landscape. Mami took a few steps towards the Witch and lowered her rifle altogether. She calmed down considerably and found that even when she still thought that every Magical Girl had to die before she could become a Witch... Yuri was that already and thereby excluded from this train of thought.

"I could have and I wondered whether I should just as often... but then I realised something that you would find disgusting if I told you. Let's just say that there are more reasons to keep you alive and I doubt that it would have worked with both of you at the same time."

She was really curious for those reasons, although Mami had the feeling that the Witch would not tell her about those right now. She disspelled her weapon while Yuri rose to her feet and turned around at last. Much to the blonde's surprise though, the eldritch being's face was stained by tears and the skin around her eyes red. She must have been crying in silence for a while now.

Despite all of that however, her voice was steady and clear. "I ask you, Tomoe Mami: is this what you want?"

A hand motioned for the towering creature that she had called Kriemhild Gretchen and the Magical Girl slowly shook her head. Why would she want something like this?

"I see. What if you had the chance to change the outcome of all this? Would you take it?"

This question had her think. She decided that all Magical Girls had to die... but at the same time, would this not have only Witches remain? On top of that, Kyubey could just contract new girls... her own plan really was faulty and it was thanks to this being in front of her that she understood this herself. To be able to change the outcome of this... would this mean...

The thought had her gasp in surprise. "You want me to come with you?"

Mami's deduction had Yuri smile deviously before giving her a small nod. "Smart girl. Yes, I want you to accompany both me and Homura when we return to the beginning. We lost here because we didn't have enough time to prepare properly. So, what do you say?"

The Witch held out a hand while the blonde still had to process what had been said. They would go so far as to take her with them... but did she even want to? It was possible that the horrors of this month would only repeat themselves. On the other hand though...

"And just so we're clear: killing every Magical Girl in the vicinity is generally no good. If you can't do it for a single person like we do, think about the destruction of Mitakihara as a whole. You can always kill yourself afterwards if becoming a Witch scares you so much. Throwing your life away beforehand is a complete waste."

Those words had her flinch several times. She still wondered how Yuri could speak about a topic like this so casually at times. It did not change her decision, though.

Reluctantly, the blonde reached out and took the fingertips of the raven-haired girl's hand, who smiled in return and lowered her arm. "So this is your decision. I would congratulate you... but this is neither the right time nor the right place. Is there anything you want to say... Incubator?"

A devilish smile was sent at Kyubey, whom Mami saw sitting right behind her when she turned around to follow the stare. The creature had its head tilted and produced something equivalent to a sigh.

 _'I guess I should have given this particular situation more thought. On the other hand though, you do not even know whether you can take her with you. If you could... wouldn't you have brought someone else with you before already?'_

While rather unconcerning to the blonde, this argument still held some truth. However, it only made Yuri's smirk widen. "Who knows? Homura failed the attempt only once, although that was mostly because everyone is dead at this point most of the time. Any last words before we leave?"

While Yuri and Kyubey stared at each other, Mami wondered about this whole situation. Was this really the right thing to do?

On the other hand though, she did not want to be left behind, either...

 _'I already told you that it will only get worse if you continue like this. Although... since my quota for this planet is fulfilled now, I guess you won't be the only one leaving. Farewell, Akemi Yuri. Homulilly. It was interesting to observe you.'_

As the last word echoed in their minds, the creature jumped backwards and swiftly fell out of sight. Yuri sighed and shook her head. "Nice fellow, really... creating a being that destroys the whole planet and then leaving just like that."

Then she turned her head and motioned for Mami to follow her. "Come now, we have to go."

However, the blonde saw this last glance she sent towards Madoka's body. It made her chest tighten.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The two proceeded in silence. They had to take a few jumps from one remaining building to another and while they did, Mami could take a good look at what became of her hometown.

Rubble and dust.

A good twenty centimeters of water stood all over the vicinity and the lower parts of the city were almost flooded... the coming of Walpurgis took it apart. She had no home anymore, no place to belong. Was this how Homura started to feel before?

They found the raven-haired Magical Girl sitting in the silent water with her back against a wall that still stood. Her face was devoid of emotion and half-opened eyes watched them coming closer. Mami could see the dried blood on her forehead and understood that the other girl had been hit by something.

Their steps echoed on the piece of wall they were walking on and once they were closer to the time traveler, she slowly rose to her feet as well while water dripped down from her skirt and sleeves. Homura took a small leap onto the piece of rubble they were just jumping at as well and sent a quizzical gaze at her 'sister'. "What did you bring her for?"

If her usual tone was cold, this was monotony in its purest form. Just what happened to her?

Yuri sighed and motioned for the blonde that was standing next to her somewhat awkwardly. "You're healed up well enough, so we should be able to start. She comes with us."

 **. . .**

When the words left Lilly's mouth, Homura could only stare at the Witch and surprise broke through the dullness that came with suppressing the pain from her injuries. Her magic put the bones back together, but that had been the utmost of what she allowed it to do. Everything else would be a waste of energy. But still, this was unprecedented and unheard of... and on top of that, it would mix up everything even more than they already did.

 _Besides..._

"It won't work... don't you remember that I tried it once with Kyoko?"

She either lost the redhead on the way or never even took her along, so this was an idea she discarded long ago. It would have been far easier if there was someone to work with from the start, though; she had to admit that much.

Lilly smirked and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You are the time traveler, Homura. But I am your Witch, a being that commands the flow of time like you do, if not better. While it is true that you alone failed in taking someone else with you, you're not by yourself right now. It should be possible with our combined might."

The explanation was convincing at least, although it prompted Homura to sigh before glancing in Mami's direction. This girl was the most unstable out of all the girls they could have taken with them. Her heart was fragile and could break at any moment... but then again, she did survive up until now and Lilly put a lot of effort into steadying her.

"Are you aware of what it means?"

The blonde nodded slightly before lowering her gaze. "I... I am not sure whether I can keep up or be of help, but Yuri-san is right: I do not want this. I can not just be so selfish and disregard the future of this city or its people... so please, take me with you."

It sounded weak, although that could also be because the blonde was close to her breaking point again, maybe even past it. Just how did Lilly stop her from going on a rampage when she found out? It was impossible that she did not connect the dots after what happened to Madoka... the thought had Homura's chest clamp up and she slowly raised her shield. The Witch next to her motioned for the time traveler to wait and went to take the Soul Gem from Mami's head, which had the Magical Girl eye her with a confused stare. "Yuri-san?"

"We could try by close contact alone... but in all honesty, I'm not keen to take risks. The soul is the only thing that goes back anyway, so we only need the Soul Gems. Give me yours, Homura."

Magic started to erupt from the eldritch being, quite a bit more than she expected her sister to have saved for this moment. The yellow gem she held was shining like a little star and Homura's own trinket would have done the same if it would react to this Witch.

The time traveler held out her hand so that Lilly could take her soul and once the Witch held both gems close to her heart, she could feel something resonating with her mind. The raven-haired girl knew that another being like her was amplifying her might, prompting her to just turn the shield upside down and begin the journey anew.

That she did.

 **. . .**

Had someone observed these events, they would have seen two girls falling to the ground simultaneously. The third one was gone as if she had never been there and only the clothes she wore a moment ago remained. Had someone seen, they would have wondered where she went to after disintegrating into black mist.

Kyubey saw and did wonder, although it could guess. Mami's and Homura's Soul Gems were gone after all. It would never know whether Homulilly's experiment was a success, though.

 **. . .**

When the first people left the shelter after the abrupt end of the storm, Hitomi was shivering. Something was not right, yet she could not put it properly.

The sky was bright and without clouds, but the city of Mitakihara had fallen into ruins. Only the area around their shelter was still mostly intact... this sight was heartbreaking. The girl's chest tightened when she thought about what it meant: the school was gone and the mall just a pile of rubble. Her home was destroyed.

All the places she felt she belonged to were gone now and even when Hitomi knew that her family had enough money to get around, she still felt a few tears roll down her cheeks. Not the places themselves were important, but the memories she connected them with; this was something that could never be rebuilt, no matter how much money one put into it.

She saw her homeroom teacher, Ms. Saotome, standing not far away right next to Kaname Junko; the two women were looking up at the sky with strange expressions. But something about this situation was off...

 **. . .**

"Do you have any idea what caused this, Junko-san?"

The lilac-haired woman sighed and shook her head while Kazuko's eyes were wandering over the people that slowly left the shelter after them. "No idea... but... Madoka went out there shortly before it ended. It might be a long shot, but maybe she did something."

This confession had the teacher whirl around to stare at her old friend in shock. "You let your daughter go out into the storm?!"

Never would she have expected Junko to do something this reckless... or the gentle pinkette that was her daughter, either. The other woman responded with an exasperated sigh and nodded before turning her gaze towards the sky herself. "I guess it really was stupid to let her go... but she said that she had to help a friend and she meant it. I don't know what happened this past month... but my girl has grown quite a lot."

"Um... d-did you really let Madoka-san go out?", a timid voice chimed into their conversation and had the women turn their eyes downwards. Shizuki Hitomi stood right in front of them with a fearful expression on her face. Seeing that had Kazuko recall that there was _something_ going on that neither of them was aware of. Junko nodded at her daughter's friend before looking into the distance. "But I wonder where she is now. The storm is over, so she and whoever was out there before should be on their way to this place."

 **. . .**

Unbeknownst to the people of Mitakihara and even to Kyubey, a shadowy figure had turned around upon feeling a strong gust of magic from behind. It felt a familiar presence slip away from its senses and was sad.

She forgot the actual reason for being sad, yet she was.

Then however, the being that tried to reach the sky felt something else; the people of this city were crestfallen and many without hope. She had to help them.

That was why she reached out to them.

 **. . .**

Not even a full ten seconds after Junko's statement had passed when she saw something appear in the distance; a large shadow as if a mountain had grown there. It was barely visible and yet, the lilac-haired woman was intrigued by it.

"Um... can you see that too?"

Kazuko and Hitomi followed her gaze and stopped for a moment. The teacher paled at the sight and the student seemed even more shocked. "T-This... is this..."

Before the girl could end whatever she wanted to say, a voice called out in their minds. Quietly, serenely... and so unebelievably familiar that it stunned Junko: _'Don't worry, be calm. I will save you all.'_

The surprised yelp of the girl drew a few confused gazes... but before anything else could happen, a terrifying force ripped at her conciousness and pulled it away.

 **. . .**

Such was the beginning of the campaign of Kriemhild Gretchen. She would bring salvation to the whole world. Once she was done, there would be no suffering left.

 **. . . . .**

 **. . .**

[Battle of Wits]

Second Act: End

 **.**


	32. Tea Party I

A short notice before we start: seeing that it slowly becomes impossible to find fitting titles using the method I had before, the naming pattern will change starting this chapter. It should fulfill its purpose, although I am not happy I had to switch amidst the story... on the other hand, this is the best point to actually change something like that. At least in my opinion.

 **. . . .**

 **. . .**

 **. .**

 **.**

She was falling.

Mami wanted to open her eyes, but she had none. Yet she could see. A whirling stream of colours that danced around her. There was something slightly "in front of" her, a strongly burning flame in purple. No, it was not just there, she was following it. This was a beacon, she understood. If she lost it, she would loose herself in this eternity.

Then the lone spirit sensed something else: Another being flew right by her side, a being not just a storm of energy... but she could only see a skeletal hand that was holding onto her.

It was not Mami that moved. This other being pushed her.

 _'Everything works fine...'_

That voice was so familiar... that must be...

Daring a glance back, she saw her. Akemi Yuri... Homulilly... and at the same time not how she used to be: her hair was in a ponytail as usual, but there were flowers growing from behind her ears. Additionally, her hands were but mere bones until somewhere around the elbows; black mist hid the rest of her body while she continued to guide what was now Mami through the abyss that she understood was time.

Then however, some of the mist that surrounded the Witch separated and went _into_ her.

 _'What the...'_

She was entirely helpless, could do nothing but convulse and scream in pain when it touched and entered her being. Every fiber of her felt as if it was on fire; this kind of pain was something Mami never felt before. She just wanted it to _stop_!

And then she fell unconcious.

 **. . .**

Kyubey's head perked up when the Soul Gem on the nightstand started to shine brightly. This was strange, seeing that there were no Witches nearby. When Mami's body began to shine as well though, it knew that something unprecedented was happening.

The feline creature quickly jumped onto the bed while noting that the girl was not moving. This was unlikely to be an effect of her own magic, seeing that previous observations showed her not to be one to subconciously activate it in her sleep. There were cases of girls that did so, yet they were rather rare and did not live for long on most occasions.

Then it saw that the yellow gem on the nightstand was rapidly changing colours from its original tone to a deep black. Did she have a nightmare that made her rapidly fall into despair? No, this was impossible as well. Even the nights where this girl woke up halfway through her REM sequence with a startled scream and continued to cry for a good while would only strain her Soul Gem slightly. This was different still.

Under a curious stare, the small object started to emanate the taint as a form of black mist that whirled around right above its origin and formed an orb of blackness, which was suddenly way more familiar... but something like this regularly happened _inside_ of the gem, not outside! Had Kyubey made a mistake back when contracting Mami?

Whatever the case, the orb compressed itself and solidified before starting to shine in yellow as well -though there were traces of pink and purple light within the observed spectrum- before the observation ended rather unexpectedly; something hit the Incubator in the face and it noted the loss of that body. Another one that went in a bit later was destroyed before it could see what hit it... but it could very well feel that there was a Witch in Mami's bedroom.

 _How strange..._

It was necessary to investigate this, so another body sat down right in front of the door and waited for Mami to wake up. Even if she had no idea what happened, it could examine her Soul Gem at least. Hopefully, Kyubey could find out what had happened rather soon.

 **. . .**

When Homura woke up, she kept lying quietly for a few seconds. This last timeline had been another failure... but they made a gamble out of it. If that really worked just as Lilly thought it would, their chances might rise quite a bit.

 _Lilly..._

The thought of her Witch had her turn around quickly, only to come face to face with herself once again. And once again, the other her was stark naked.

A calm face stirred and eyelids opened slowly to reveal a tired purple looking back at her. "So it worked. I brought her with us... though we should check on her..."

She stopped and yawned loudly before snuggling closer towards the time traveler. "I'm tired... that took a lot out of me."

A quick glance at the alarm clock on her nightstand told Homura that they still had some time before anyone would check on them, so she just sighed and let the Witch have her will. "Alright. I will wake you up in an hour."

Her sister just grumbled and closed her eyes again, although she let go of Homura's sleeve at least. The Magical Girl kept lying where she was and pondered the situation.

 _Did it really work? Could we bring Tomoe Mami with us?_

Then however, she recalled that something had been strange on their way back. Nothing she could put in words properly, yet the odd sensation remained with her even now. What had it been? Maybe Lilly knew... unfortunately though, the eldritch being seemed to be asleep already. Which meant that questions would have to wait. If she really did what Homura never could, the Witch deserved a break anyway.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Mami awoke to the sound of a few birds chirping and smiled in relief. So it had been but a dream even when it felt so real.

The veteran sat up and rubbed her eyes before pushing her legs over her bedside... and becoming aware of a strange white paste that was scattered over the floor.

 _What in the world..._

As her gaze wandered a bit, she found something that indicated what this was; some parts of the paste had red markings familiar to her. The same markings that were on Kyubey's back.

 _Oh my... what happened here?_

As the shock of the sight washed her drowsiness away, Mami became aware that something was slightly squeezing her breasts together. Looking down, the blonde saw that it was a yellow ribbon of the kind she summoned herself. That was really strange, seeing that she never used magic in her sleep. And even if she would have done it, why would this of all things happen?

Then the ribbon shifted slightly and gave her pause.

Her senses were rather numb for a reason she did not know. It was only now that she could feel something pressing against her back... and going by how she could feel the ribbons lying on her body, it was clear that whatever it was was also holding on to her with them. But what kind of being would have... her... ribbons.

Words that were said returned to her mind and drew a certain conclusion she was not sure how to feel about. If it was true...

Mami carefully examined the cloth around her chest and noticed that there were in fact two ribbons that met in the front. They started to stir when the blonde undid them before letting go of one end and pulling around the other while standing up. She wanted to get a better look... and maybe have a faster way of getting out of reach of whatever this was.

What she saw was... a doll. It looked like a child's drawing and yet felt so real. The ribbon the Magical Girl held connected to the right shoulder while the one she let go of was attached to the left. The large cap on the doll's head was just as yellow, but the head and upper body featured a shade of cyan. Its waist was almost as thin as a matchstick, only to widen out into something that looked like a skirt from where white ribbons led downward; first in a complete fashion that could remind one of a lower body before spiraling out into legs. A price-tag in pinkish red was attached to the cap and the doll was a good fifty centimeters tall... and it continued to stir.

The sight and the feeling had Mami drop the thing... the creature. That was a Witch. It had to be, only the eldritch creatures looked like a child's nightmare come true.

But this one... her Soul Gem did not react to it even when she could feel her magic now. It was not much, yet it was there.

As the doll hit the ground however, she jerked up before falling to the side and just lying there.

Then she started to cry.

 **. . .**

 **.**

Third Act: Start

 **.**

 **. . .**

Lilly sighed as she wandered the streets of Mitakihara. In all honesty, it was far too early to be running around for her liking... or rather far too late. At least there were not many people around, so she was spared most of their terrible scent.

The last time she was at this point, the Witch actually went to get enrolled at school... which had been both complicated and unnecessary. How did she even do that?

 _Whatever... that won't happen again. I'm done with this place._

In fact, she already had a plan on what to do with the free time she would have in this case, although that had to wait. For right now, Lilly was on her way to check up on Mami. Her aura was suppressed just in case something went wrong after all or Kyubey was around, which was likely.

Purple eyes darted around and she was aware of the few odd stares she got. It was a Saturday and despite her casual clothes -which she took from Homura's closet-, it was still a bit early for a teenager to run around. Not even eight.

On another note, she could be rather glad that her sister accepted the changed plan. She should not have doubted her to begin with, yet Lilly was all too aware of how frail she could be at certain points. But just as the Witch hoped, Akemi Homura soldiered on. She always did.

Since Homulilly was effectively the same person, so did she. However, her stride came to a sudden stop when an unknown aura hit her. It just grew around her, so whatever Witch it was had either been created just now or took a "meal".

The name was unfamiliar and on top of that, this Witch felt somewhat strange... yet Lilly could not really put it. Besides, the aura came from... the building right in front of her. Which was also her destination.

While Mortal World's Witch entered the apartment building, she remained attentive to catch any signs of Mami fighting... but there were none. Additionally, the aura she felt suddenly did not have the regular signs of a newborn Witch; it also lacked the note of despair that came from the respective Magical Girl before she fell. If this one was new, then she could not be older than a few hours. On the other hand, there was a veteran Magical Girl living in this place. Would she just ignore this?

When Lilly reached the door she was looking for, the scent intensified and the Witch sighed. The possibilities were shrinking and she was not sure whether she should not hope on the off-chance that Mami just witched out upon returning from the future... but the faint sense of the blond Magical Girl walking around denied even this one. Although the veteran seemed to be exasparated...

A series of three knocks was all she did to tell Mami about her presence. Interestingly though, it took the girl a good minute to come over and open up. When yellow eyes peaked outside and became aware of who was standing there, they widened and the door was opened completely. "Homura-san, it is good that you are here!"

Homura? Why would she be... oh. Right, no ponytail.

Lilly sighed and raised her right hand that obviously lacked the ring of the Magical Girls before entering the flat uninvited, though Mami did not seem to mind. "Looks like there is something going on here... did you have a sewing contest with someone?"

The second part was added when she noticed all the small pieces of yellow yarn on the floor. Where did they come from?

The blonde returned a sigh of her own and closed the door before following her inside. "I am sorry for mistaking you two, Yuri-san... well, how to put it... I guess something went wrong when we jumped."

So this meant that this was definitely the Mami she brought with them. Good. That there had been trouble was obvious as well, Lilly even felt it during their journey through the stream of time; that was actually the main reason for her checking on the blonde so quickly.

"I am glad to see you right now... so all of this was real..."

So that had been bothering her... still, the human-shaped Witch had not much to say about it. Just a little something to reassure the girl. "Don't worry. Homura thought it was a dream as well after her first jump."

Then she entered the living room, where the strange presence was coming from. Lilly was no three steps through the door before she turned her head and sent a quizzical stare at the blonde. Mami in turn just shook her head and entered as well. She did not even comment on the raven-haired girl's behaviour, though Lilly saw the reason for that: a living doll sitting on the table and curiously sorting through all kinds of sewing equipment, with arms that consisted solely of one long, yellow ribbon each. Lilly sighed upon seeing the unusual colouring of the other Witch. So it had to be true.

"It is just... she would not stop crying and I am sure that the neighbours heard her. So I figured that yarn might calm her..."

"Because her tears are made out of it?"

This was the only reasonable explanation to all those small pieces lying around. Had they not all been yellow, Lilly might have suspected the newborn to have been on a small rampage. As it was however, the doll seemed happily absorbed in examining all kinds of different colours and needles.

"Yes... but what should I do now, Yuri-san? This... this was not what you wanted to happen, right?"

Mami clasped her hands as she asked while also averting her gaze. Interestingly though, there was no real suspicion in her voice, just curiousity. Which was an indicator about the change the blonde went through in these last weeks in its own right. Had this happened to her without the preparation by Lilly... she would have went on a killing spree or gone insane... maybe both.

However, Mortal World's Witch shook her head while taking a seat at the head of the table, a bit away from the oblivious being on it. Mami sat down right next to her with her gaze cast on her hands. Lilly eyed her for a moment before dropping the topic for now: "How do you cope with it? Mitakihara is back, you're in your home again... but you know that Walpurgis will come. Inevitably, she will arrive in about fourty days. Are you ready to fight?"

 **. . .**

That was a good question, actually. Mami could barely believe how calm she was right now. She felt dull and yet... also a bit steadier than she felt for a long time. Looking at Yuri in front of her gave the Magical Girl an idea why: she was no longer alone. Both Homura and her Witch would stay around, if not by her side. On top of that, protecting the city she lived in and loved, even at the cost of her life, sounded like something good to do. Something good to give herself for.

 _Is this how they feel?_

She would not bring it up. That kind of question should not be asked just out of the blue. Maybe later.

"Yes, I think so. We have some time to prepare, so I guess I will have enough opportunities to get my head around the situation."

Yuri nodded at her in a somewhat praising manner before turning her gaze towards the Witch on the table that was still paying no attention to them. Now that she looked at her again, this kind of behaviour had something childlike.

"Now to you, Candeloro. Dress-Up Witch."

The blonde eyed her guest with a mixture of curiousity and surprise when she heard the name and title. How did she even know that without being told? She never actually told them how Witches communicated... or did she and Mami just forgot about it?

Whatever the case, the doll's head darted upwards when her name was called. It turned for something that barely resembled eyes -although they looked stitched, they moved slightly- to focus on the raven-haired girl who raised an eyebrow, but refrained from saying any more yet.

"How do you know my name?"

The voice was definitely corporeal, not like Kyubey's mental chatter... however, there was no mouth on this doll and nothing else where it could come from and on top of that... it sounded a lot like Mami's own voice, at least what she heard from recordings. Yuri crossed her arms in front of her chest and then the blonde could feel this aura creep up on her again. Her Soul Gem started to shine and Candeloro jerked upwards with a startled scream before compressing her spiralling legs and making a high jump over the blonde's head. The doll kept the tip of her arm on her shoulder and quickly hid behind her while Yuri only smirked in something that might be amusement. Mami was too surprised to even do anything... but then she felt the little Witch shaking against her back... and felt sorry for her. As strange as it was, the blonde was pitying an eldritch being that could kill a human with little more than a thought.

"Y-Y-You're... protect me, please! She wants to eat me!"

But right now, said being clung to her as if the grim reaper himself was after her... which was kind of the case, to be fair. Yuri on her part just chuckled in a clear tone that lacked the malice of her giggling, although Mami only heard her do that once. The Magical Girl on her part gently placed a hand on the ribbon that was lodged firmly around her shoulder. "There there, do not be afraid. Yuri-san will not hurt you."

Although she had to send a questioning look at the other Witch and get her confirmation through a nod before being sure about that herself. Her words prompted the doll to peek over her shoulder... that was yellow. She still wore her pyjamas.

Suddenly aware of that, Mami felt her cheeks turn a slight shade of pink and she continued to speak after a moment of consideration: "Um... by any chance, could you let go of me for a moment? I would like to get dressed."

 **. . .**

She did not want to. Not at all. If Mami left her with the other Witch, she would definitely get eaten... or not? She had no idea.

In fact, Candeloro wanted to be friends with Homulilly. However, the other beings' aura was so malicious that she was too afraid to ask. But she could not just hide behind Mami forever, right?

 **. . .**

When the Dress-Up Witch slowly lowered herself to the ground, Lilly noticed something really interesting: she could shorten and lengthen her arms at will, although she kept them at a length of about half her height most of the time. The spiralling legs were compressed slightly when she landed and retracted her arms a bit more to the sound of a roll of cloth rubbing over cloth... was she storing the additional ribbons within her body? That seemed rather ineffective. On the other hand though, there was most likely not much inside besides a Grief Seed and a few fluids.

Mami bowed at her and quickly went into her bedroom; as she did, Lilly suppressed her aura again and took a closer look at Candeloro. The doll flinched back, but did not flee... which she deemed as an improvement.

"I'm not going to eat you, really."

It was unnecessary to mention that this was because this Witch was interesting and a potential ally on top of that. That would only scare her. At least her words had the other being ease up a bit and the human-shaped Witch pointed at the table. "Do you mind standing up there? I won't go on eye-level with you, yet a fellow Witch deserves to stay somewhat equal to me."

This in turn was a truth... and it sounded a bit nicer than 'Stand up there so I can examine you'.

Candeloro flinched again but did as she was asked. Her walking had a certain spring in it that was because of the legs feathering up and down whenever she lifted them. They really worked like springs after all, as was shown once again when she compressed them a second time and took a short leap onto the table, almost crashing into the sewing equipment as she did. After the doll turned around, they looked at each other again in silence for a few seconds; then Lilly went and took a seat in front of her fellow Witch, although she kept a meter of distance between them. This was something she could do, seeing that it was more relaxing to talk while sitting.

"I wonder... how would you know that I'm eating other Witches?"

The sudden question had the newborn shy back and hold the ribbons in front of herself in a protective manner. "Um... well, uh... you see, I... I just know. I always did."

This was good. Lilly nodded and tilted her head slightly. "Alright. Are there any more of Mami's memories that you inherited?"

Seeing that she did not ask what the older one talked about, this meant that they understood each other about that without the need to explain it. That was at least something... were it not for a certain blonde to return at this very moment.

"Um... what would you mean with that, Yuri-san?"

 _Of course. Screw you too, Universe._

The Witch did not show her discontent with Mami's curiousity; it was only natural after all...

So instead, she motioned for the Magical Girl to sit down while continuing to eye the doll on the table, who thankfully went to explain in her stead: "I was born from you, Mami. Since my soul was yours originally... um, I have a part of your memories."

Her voice was definitely the same as well, although she seemed to at least come with basic intelligence... or maybe this was standard knowlegde for comparably sane Witches. Whatever it was, Lilly doubted that it would hold. She could sense childish glee from this doll and only her presence drowned it out for now. Candeloro had to be educated a lot, she was sure of that.

"I... see. So... what do you remember, then?"

Mami had taken a seat to the raven-haired girl's right hand and kept her curious gaze on the newborn Witch, although Lilly did notice the slight frown and the attempt to stop her hands from clenching into fists. It was likely that the Magical Girl was still unsure what to think about this new addition to the group.

The doll, however, scratched the lower side of her price-tag in something that looked like thoughtfulness. "Hm... I know that there are a lot of people outside and I can also feel that they are there. Can we go and play with them?"

She spoke similar to Mami, but that did not mean much. Lilly had been similar to Homura in that regard as well before developing a slightly more different speech pattern.

"Um... I do not think this to be a good idea..."

The blonde's attempt of talking her Witch out of it only managed to have her take a few steps closer and hold out her ribbons in a begging motion. "Aww, why not?! I want to meet people and be friends with them! I want to ahhhhhhhh!"

The sentence ended in a startled scream when Lilly leaned over the table and placed her hand on Candeloro's head. Not painfully, but firm. At least from what she was used to. When nothing further happened, the other eldritch being at least stopped screaming. Although she could feel and see her shaking miserably while barely containing her fear. It radiated all around them, yet Mortal World's Witch could not yet let her be. Her gaze was on Mami while she slowly let go. "Don't. Just don't try to talk one of us out of her obsession. Neither will you be able to stop me from being a scheming observer, nor can you stop her from being attached to humans. Whatever is going on in your head manifested as her desire. Do you really want friends that badly?"

The Magical Girl's expression fell a bit more with every sentence and she was looking down with a slight blush on her face when Lilly was done. Then however, she felt something wind around her still lowered hand and squeeze it painfully while an angry voice called out from below. "Hey! Stop being mean to Mami! Stop making her sad!"

The ribbon wound around her hand squeezed ever harder and might crush the bones very soon, prompting a new understanding in her: the Dress-Up Witch was physically stronger than her.

While fighting down the urge to flinch backwards or set the doll on fire, she looked down at the newborn with a forced sigh.

 _Stay calm, Lilly. Stay calm and wait._

If she did not, this might become a problem.

"Someone has to be the voice of reason, you know? Besides, you should let go of my hand."

Her collected voice had the other Witch realise what she was doing and she quickly let go with an apologeptic "I'm sorry!". Mami on her part had followed the situation with a mixture of surprise and confusion. Seeing this made her chuckle for a moment, which prompted both eldritch beings to turn their heads. Lilly took it as a good sign that the confident sparkling had returned to the blonde's eyes.

"Well... I guess that things will get more lively from now on."

The Dress-Up Witch pumped her right arm in the air with a cheerful "Yay!" and almost hit Lilly's jaw with the motion. The latter just sighed and sat down again while eyeing the newborn. It would take a while to get an idea of her powers and the doll herself to act properly.

"Um... out of curiousity, Yuri-san... what is Homura-san doing right now?"

The question brought her back to another topic she had been ignoring because it was not important right now. Mami seemed eager to learn about it, though.. figures, the blonde had her views turned upside down and was thrown into the past. Lilly shrugged.

"I guess she's getting discharged from the hospital and goes to get our flat."

The following silence was somewhat welcome. After all, the realisation decided to hit her with full force at this point: she succeeded. Homulilly managed to break the loop by bringing along another Magical Girl and another Witch. This meant that she was indeed superior to humans and Magical Girls alike. It filled her with content to see her belief confirmed.

"Why don't you come live here?", a shy voice chimed into the glee and had her gaze return to Candeloro, who was shrinking back from it. Mami looked in the same direction with a more surprised expression. It was likely that the blonde wanted to ask the same thing, but did not dare... but since her Witch had no such hindrances as modesty or politeness... or even the fear of being turned down, it was her who asked first despite the fact that she was obviously intimidated.

Lilly on her part raised an eyebrow and pondered this for a moment before her eyes went to meet Mami's. "Would that be alright with you?"

While the Magical Girl flinched back slightly and nodded quickly, Mortal World's Witch decided that it might really be an advantage to have a centralised base of operations. So she ignored the tinge of pink on Mami's cheeks and nodded herself. "We will do that, then. Can you give me your cellphone for a moment? I'm going to call Homura and tell her."

Of course their bond would do the trick as well... but why telling them that? It was always good to have a few aces left in her sleeve, seeing that Lilly's thoughts on the matter never changed: every last being that could potentially kill her was also a potential traitor. The last time she forgot about that, she was stabbed right through the chest.

Living at this place was a good idea, though. It was closer to the center of town and they could save money like this. It would not help the problem with Mami's attraction -although the blonde might not even be aware of it herself... not completely at least-, but the positive aspects still outweighed the negative ones. Although this also meant that she could no longer sleep naked...

 _A sacrifice for my cause..._

Even if she would not like it.

"Um... sure. Here you go."

As Lilly took the cellphone and started to dial, she noticed something that completely slipped her attention before and asked about it before pressing the call-button: "Where is Kyubey?"

Mami looked around for a moment before replying while the Witch waited for her sister to answer; "I told him to leave me alone for a while; that I had to sort a few things out."

"I see."

Every day spent without seeing the rat was a good day.


	33. Tea Party II

Had someone that was not Kyubey looked through one of the windows or the glass door leading to the balcony, they would have seen something both interesting and alienating: a blonde with her hairs in ringlets and clad in a Middle School uniform, sitting at a low table and pouring tea for two identical, raven-haired twins whose purple eyes were cold and devoid of emotion. The only visible difference was that one of them had a ponytail and wore blue jeans as well as a purple sweater while the other kept her hair open and was clad in a uniform similar to that of the blonde.

Then there was also a rather large doll that looked as if it had been painted; it sat to the human's side and -much to a possible observer's surprise- moved the ribbons growing out of its shoulders to hold both a plate of cookies and a cup of its own.

Fortunately for the group inside though, it was only Kyubey watching from afar. The Incubator was curious... and confused.

 **. . .**

"So... you want Lilly and me to stay at your place?"

Lilly's gaze was mostly on the little Witch sitting to her left hand while the person said being orignated from was opposite to them and nodded, more enthusiastically than earlier. "Why, yes. Would it not be easier to coordinate if we lived together?"

 _So obvious..._

"And we would love to have more people around!"

 _So ridiculous._

The embarassed look Mami sent the doll had Lilly chuckle. This girl really had no idea on how to deal with her Witch. Well, she would learn it eventually.

 _To be fair... I guess Candeloro will be more difficult to deal with than I._

Although it was difficult to even compare them, seeing how different they were: Homulilly was a secretive, paranoid coward while the Dress-Up Witch was an attention-loving, childlike being. Interestingly though, most humans would take either of those as an insult while Lilly merely used them to describe herself and others. There was nothing wrong with keeping secrets, being overly careful, afraid to die, simply too inexperienced to know any better or liking to be noticed. Those were simply character traits and every being had those, so why despise some and approve of others?

Of course, there were also exceptions to this rule of hers; once one overdid it with a certain trait, this was no good anymore.

There were a lot of stubborn people around her. Mami was stubborn in her search for friends; Homura was -among other things- stubborn in her quest to save Madoka. Even Lilly herself could be described with that term. But then there was Miki Sayaka, who was _so_ stubborn that she rejected help and preferred to die over changing her views. That was unhealthy and Mortal World's Witch condemned it as stupidity.

After all, the only reason her own cowardice did not become stupidly intense was because of the strong will she inherited from Homura. Lilly could keep herself in check when necessary. Yet her instinct made her careful and wary of her surroundings, which was important to survive.

"What are you thinking about, Yuri-san?"

Unnoticed from her, the conversation was apparently finished and now all eyes were lying on her... although it was up to debate whether Candeloro had eyes in the literal sense. Nonetheless, even the other Witch emitted curiousity.

Lilly sighed and took a sip from her tea before shifting her weight a bit. "Just making sure that I'm in the right with disliking reckless idiots. On that note, you should keep Miki Sayaka away from me... I'm still angry about getting stabbed."

The sudden turn of the conversation had the others pause while the human-shaped Witch turned towards her sister: "I guess you and Mami will go to get the legal stuff done?"

There had to be some of that if Homura wanted to move into this place after all. As she said the blonde's name however, said girl raised her eyebrows in surprise... and blushed. "I-Is there a reason you are not using any honorifics, Yuri-san?"

So that was it...

"Since the masks are off and I don't have to pretend on being a human all too often anymore, I'm also done with this annoying practice. You should better get used to that because I'm not going to change anything about it."

Speaking of annoying...

"On that note", the Witch added with a glance at the flinching doll to her left, "I definitely won't address you with your full name. Do you mind if I just shorten it to... let's say Candel?"

That kept the other eldritch being quite for a while. At the same time, Homura sent Lilly a curious glance. "You like abbreviations, don't you?"

She only noticed that now? Of course Lilly did! Full names were for introductions alone anyway and on top of that, almost everything could be shortened without losing its meaning.

"Um... I don't mind... soo... can I call you Lilly then?"

At her nod, the Dress-Up Witch jumped onto the table with a squeal. "Then we're friends now!"

And hugged her. Tightly.

Her bones were aching a bit, but she could bear with it for a while. Mortal World's Witch sighed and shook her head. "Fine then. If you promise to behave, I don't mind that, either."

The response was but a dull "Yes", seeing that the doll was clinging to her chest right now and her arms were folded behind Lilly's back.

 _Afraid of me just a minute ago... I guess her desire trumps even her fear._

"Although... Lilly, do you have an idea why this Witch is now here?"

And there was the question she tried not to think about. Time was an interesting thing, as was travelling through it... but nonetheless, everything regarding this topic was not completely sure to say. The eldritch being shrugged -at least as far as that was possible with ribbons tying around her arms- and wondered whether Candeloro would let go if she set the tip of her price-tag on fire. On the other hand though, she should wait with that kind of thing until the other Witch was a bit older... or at least give her a warning.

"Let go now, Candel."

"Okay!"

Her order was followed obediently and the ribbons retracted. The doll jumped back and returned to her seat while Mami continued to watch the scene in slightly confused and curious silence. Once Lilly was free again, she returned her sister's gaze. "I can only guess about this one, though. Madoka's original wish might still linger, seeing how powerful it was. It activated within the stream of time before as well, so this might be the consequence of Mami coming with us. Since we kept her with us through the use of our magic, the wish might have affected her just as well, even when it was focussed solely on you originally."

Those were her thoughts on the matter.

 **. . .**

All of this sounded... so strange. It was hard to think about this, yet some parts fit together with what she knew. Yuri had been created by a wish, Mami knew that for a while now. So this wish that was obviously made by Kaname had now created a Witch from the blonde's soul as well because... what reason exactly? And how?

At first she thought about asking... but then again, maybe the human-shaped Witch did not have an explanation, either. It was likely, seeing that she tended to explain in detail whenever she could. Besides, she stated that she had to guess just before. It seemed to be a really complicated topic to think about anyway.

She cleared her throat to gain the other's attention before looking at the other Magical Girl. "Should we go to get this sorted out then, Homura-san? I have to run a few errands anyway... if I remember correctly, that is."

She was not sure about what she still had in her kitchen and what needed to be restocked. Mami made a mental note to check it properly either today or the next day. The raven-haired girl nodded slightly and took the last bit of tea out of her cup. Her Witch remained seated and nodded at them. "Go do that, I will stay here a bit longer. Maybe I'll take a walk with Candel. We have to figure out a few things anyway."

"You mean like how you managed to enroll in school?"

Now that brought the blonde's mind back to another topic. She never thought about it before, but it was indeed up to question how a person that did not exist officially managed to get enrolled in a public school. On the other hand... Yuri did have magic, so maybe she could do something about it. The Witch on her part raised an eyebrow. "No. Never again."

Hearing that made her smile falter ever so slightly. She had hoped to be able to spend some more time with both of them in school. Apparently, this would not happen... although...

"If I may ask: why do you dislike school so much?"

Which got her a raised eyebrow in return. The eldritch being sighed and dropped onto her back. She spoke while keeping her eyes on the ceiling: "For one, the subjects are boring and not interesting to me. Add in that humans have a disgusting smell to them and you have my reasoning. I'm not going there again."

This was surprising. Although the older girl could relate to the first argument, the second one came unexpected. Mami never noticed a particularly bad scent at school... or maybe that was because of what Yuri was?

"What are you talking about? Humans smell nice! Like tea and cookies and flowers and..."

"Maybe to you, Candel", the doll was stopped from continuing the enumeration. Her price-tag fell when the other Witch continued: "While teenagers are not yet as disgusting as adults, it is bad enough. They stink."

Mami just realised that this might be the first time she actually learned something about this being that went beyond obvious observations. She wondered what that might mean...

"We should go now", another cold voice had her turn back to Homura and nod. "You are right. Please take care of yourselves while we are out."

With those words to the two Witches, the Magical Girls left.

 **. . .**

When they were alone, Lilly sighed again and sat up. Those cookies were but an appetizer... unfortunately, it made her realise just how hungry she actually was; keeping Mami with them took a lot out of her and she was almost back at the starting point.

 _Good thing the experience I gathered about my abilities is still there. That's an improvement._

She had her Telekinesis and the bond. Her fire was there and there might be something else the human-shaped Witch had not noticed yet. Whatever it was though, she would find out about it eventually.

"Do you want more tea?"

The doll that jumped up and down in eagerness right in front of her looked somewhat hilarious... especially because that price-tag was bobbing with it just as Mami's ringlets would in a situation like this. Lilly shook her head and took a short look around before eyeing the Dress-Up Witch, who eyed her in return. "Two things I'm wondering about right now: first, what exactly do you prefer to eat?"

That had Candeloro tilt her head; it was something Lilly had a right to be concerned about; they did not know yet whether this eldritch being could be fed with the taint from Soul Gems or if regular food was enough to satiate her. If she preferred to eat human souls, they might get in trouble later on... although Lilly could just feed the scum to her, the people that no one would miss anyway.

"Hm... now that you mention it... I don't know. I'm happy as long as there are a lot of people around me."

The other Witch had the tip of her right arm on her face while the other one emptied the remaining content of the teacan into a cup that she drew back. Now that Lilly thought about it, she did not even see how Candeloro ate before. So while she thought about what her current charge's statement could mean, she also kept an eye on the little doll... that just splashed the tea over its face and absorbed it right through the cloth. Not a single drop fell somewhere else and Mortal World's Witch was left to wonder what happened to the cookies beforehand. After all, this being had no mouth.

"Well... in the best case, that means you can charge up by simply being around humans. In the worst case, I have to teach you how to kill them and take their souls."

She was not sure which one she preferred. The first option sounded better overall... but it meant that at least one of them had to stay around this Witch at all times... and Lilly hated being close to larger crowds.

 _Well..._

Maybe she could find a solution over the course of this month. If so, this would be good. If not... she could think about it then.

"Hm... but they can't be my friends if I kill them..."

The price-tag fell again and she started to wonder if it was equivalent to a tail. Whatever the answer to that question was though, Lilly raised an eyebrow and went to look out of the window. With what was just said, she recalled a problem she wanted to adress anyway. "Candel."

"...Yes?"

So she had her attention. This was a lesson she could only tell a fellow Witch; only very few human beings could actually grasp the meaning of her words: "There are somewhere between seven and nine billion people on this planet. It would take you millennia to meet them all, let alone be friends with them. Even if you kill one or two, it will make no difference because humans are born faster than you can dispose of them. As long as you watch out for whom you kill and how many, there is absolutely no problem."

The Dress-Up Witch sat there and let the words sink in for a while. Her ribbons floated around and a sigh escaped her while she went to rub her head. "I... I think I understand. But I don't like it..."

If that was everything she was concerned about...

"Believe me, I don't like quite a few parts of reality, either. If I dismiss them though... well, I guess that is what separates us from the other Witches: we can still differentiate."

"Hm..."

The doll kept her head lowered for a while before raising it and getting to her... 'feet'. "Okay. I will try to understand it better. Let's go outside!"

She already started to walk for the door, but found herself with a hand on her shoulder very soon. "Not like this. People would notice you... and that would be bad. Really bad. I know what you want to say", she silenced the other eldritch being before she could even speak, "but no. I know that you want to meet them, but this is simply not possible in this state. Can you try to be fine with simply being around them?"

They stared at each other for a few seconds and once again, the price-tag was lowered. "Okay..."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When she agreed to not get in contact with people, Candeloro should have expected something like this... but even when her friend told her, she was shocked.

However, her desire to be with others was stronger than her discomfort, so she did it.

"Is this... really necessary?"

The Dress-Up Witch tried to balance herself within the bag she had been put into by steadying the sides with her arms. Her price-tag was bent and ached from constantly rubbing against the badly manufactured cloth around the little doll. Did Lilly not know how sensitive that part was?

"Quiet now", a muffled voice replied to her from without. She could feel the warmth of the other Witch's human flesh against one side of the bag and sighed quietly. This was not how she imagined her first time outside, not at all.

 _I want to be friends with them! I want to..._

Lilly said that she wanted to take a few jumps from the balcony to fool someone... she forgot who it was because she was not allowed to meet them. On the other hand however, she noticed something after a while; A wonderful feeling and scent came to her, was all around her. Candeloro was happy all of a sudden... was that what it felt like to be around many people? If yes, then she never wanted to go home again. This feeling was so nice!

She stopped trashing around inside the bag and stayed still to enjoy this as much as possible. The newborn Witch knew very well that they had to go back eventually, so she wanted to get as much out of this walk as possible.

 **. . .**

Lilly on her part had to suppress a sigh. The stench of humans became ever stronger while Candeloro emanated continuously growing content.

This proved the fact that the Dress-Up Witch was enjoying when humans were around. Whether she could actually gain strength from that alone was still unclear, although she really hoped for that. Having a Witch that needed to be fed with human souls might become troublesome, especially when dealing with Miki Sayaka later on... not that she could not manage, it was just easier if she did not need to.

 _She gave in surprisingly quickly, considering her initial fear._

Candeloro's mood changed from one moment to the next, just as her own did initially. Even when she was a Witch, she was still but a few hours old after all. Her personality should gain some balance after the first week, though; maybe a bit longer, seeing that there was only one being to base observations like this on and she was exceptional even to her own kin.

Lilly wondered whether this little doll would do them any good. Her combat prowess had to be tested, she had to find out how to feed her properly... if worst came to worst, she could still eat the other Witch.

The thought gave her pause and had her lean against a nearby wall while people passed by her. The bag's backside touched it as well as her back and Lilly looked at her feet with a thoughtful look in her eyes. This kind of thought was not uncommon for her, but she remembered something else: Elsa Maria.

There was another of her own kin that meant no harm to her, whom she murdered. She still did not know what to think about that.

 _I'm a Witch... I am Mortal World's Witch, Homulilly. Yet I pity the normal ones that succumb to me... no, that's not it..._

She did not understand. What was it that bothered her about this situation? And more importantly, why?

 _Is this human morale once again? Maybe I should burn her here and now..._

The thought was interrupted by a slight squeezing of her hand and when the human-shaped Witch looked there, she found a yellow ribbon wound around it; the doll had it glide over the tether of the bag so that no one noticed. She also emanated something akin to a soothing hum, although it could not be heard. Lilly sighed and rubbed the living piece of cloth before separating it from her hand. Her charge understood the cue and retracted the ribbon into the bag.

 **. . .**

She did not know what made her friend feel sad all of a sudden, but Candel would not allow her to stay like this. Now that she had time to understand herself a bit better, the doll did notice that she acted on a fragment of Mami's memories without context. She was understanding enough to not continue with that, even when the additional things she remembered did not help much. Lilly was scary after all.

However, the Dress-Up Witch was determined to not allow this to stop them from being friends. Even when she was scary, she was also nice to her.

When her arm retreated back into the bag, she noticed the other Witch having left the zipper open that little bit the doll managed to push it before. She could look out now.

So Candel took the opportunity to at least get a glimpse of the sun... but that required her to shift around and press her head against the side... but she managed! She could see small parts of the sky with a few clouds in front of them and the black hair of Mortal World's Witch falling down from the side. That was worth squeezing her price-tag together so much that it hurt, it definitely was.

"Miss? Why is there a cat in your bag?"

That kind of voice... it was not really pronounced and high-pitched... that was definitely a little girl speaking to her friend and the doll had to be careful not to jump out of the bag. Someone noticed her! She wanted to be friends with them!

"You're mistaken, little one. That's not an animal in there."

"It isn't? Aww, I was so sure..."

While Candel was full of joy over being around such a sweet child, she could feel Lilly becoming annoyed rather quickly. "I can show you if you like. That way you can be sure that I don't have a cat in my bag."

Now another voice joined the conversation, older but not likely to belong to an adult. Maybe an older brother?

"Um... you don't have to do this, really. My sister's just a bit too direct."

So it was a brother. But why would Lilly decide against the rule she herself established and show the Dress-Up Witch to a human? Not that she minded it much, she just knew that the other eldritch being rarely did anything without a thought behind it. And she had no idea what this could be about.

"No, no, it's fine. Really."

As Lilly pulled back the zipper and the light became brighter, Candel could feel anticipation coming from her... just what was she planning?

Then a slender hand felt into the bag and got a hold of the doll's thin waist after a moment. Now she could feel the eldritch power surging through Lilly again; it was still unsettling, but knowing that they were friends now calmed her a lot.

"See?"

 **. . .**

The brat saw. Saw how Lilly pulled a terrifying doll out of her bag, one that dangled limply below her hand. Someone more observant might have noticed that the upper body was strangely straightened, even when the human-shaped Witch did nothing to steady it that way. She just held Candel in her hand while keeping the bag out of the way with the other one... and the girl took a step back in shock and hid behind her brother, who looked as if he was around fifteen. That's what she got for getting on Lilly's nerves right now. Her mind was still busy trying to sort out why she was so opposed to the idea of killing that Witch that she held in her hand right now. A single movement and Candel's spine would snap... probably.

But then again... this was not a human like those two in front of her. It was one of her own kin and even when she was beyond them, she should treat this Witch with at least some respect. Besides, she was most likely as delicate as Mami... and obsessed with making friends. It was unlikely that she turned against them anytime soon or without warning.

"Woah, that's one creepy doll you have there."

Now that boy demanded her attention with his comment. She nodded slightly while putting her companion into the bag again. The teenager on his part turned around to smirk at his sister, who was still eyeing her fearfully. "See? That's what you get for being nosy, Minako."

Then he bowed at Lilly and took the little girl's hand. "Sorry for troubling you."

The Witch on her part shrugged and moved to continue walking. "It's alright."

 _Actually, that face she made was well worth the time I lost here._

Which was at least something.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

It was still a bit surreal, but Mami was sure that she was not asleep. She leapt through time, back into the middle of March and on top of that, a Witch formed from her Soul Gem. Her Witch... Candeloro.

The blonde was not sure what to think of that. She had been hunting Witches for so long and now there would be one... two of them living at her place. To be fair, both of them were more or less sane, albeit with a few obvious quirks; on the other hand, every human was like that as well.

 _Candel... so she is really the incarnation of my subconciousness? Of my desires?_

Did she really want friends that much? Mami never noticed.

 _Is that what they call obsession?_

The thought did not reflect on her face that still held the polite smile she usually had. Nonetheless, realising this about herself was not nice. But if this was the case, what kind of obsession did Yuri encorporate?

 _Scheming and tricking people... no, that does not fit. I think she said something about observing people... but what would that mean?_

It did not really add up. Would it not have something to do with saving Kaname Madoka, seeing that Homura made her wish for the pinkette to begin with?

Mami's gaze focussed on the back of the time traveler that was signing a few more papers right now. She felt as if she understood nothing once again.

 _Even if I asked her, I doubt that she would tell me anything... maybe the secrecy? Yes, that would fit._

As the blonde understood it, her partner had been forced into concealing her intentions as well as the informations she had, so this quirk born from necessity might have transformed into a general character trait of her Witch. Because it was also her and the other Magical Girls from Mitakihara that forced Homura to take up that attitude, she could not blame it on the raven-haired girl. That was Mami's fault.

Nonetheless, she was glad to have understood at least a bit about those two beings she would come to live with... if she got it right, that was. On the other hand though, there was another being she would be around rather often from now on. But that should work out.

 **. . .**

Strange events had occured.

Even under constant observation from the Incubator, there was no real way to tell exactly what happened just now. It would take time to process it and evaluate possible reasons.

 _The Witch emerging from Mami's Soul Gem is definitely not a natural phenomenon. The system does not allow for this possibility and no girl made a wish regarding that particular occurence._

At least none that it knew of. A good indicator were the other two girls that arrived but a few hours afterwards. Unfortunately though, Mami sent Kyubey away, so it was unable to listen in on their conversation. She never did that before and had no reason to do it now. Which in turn meant that she had been influenced by whatever created the Witch as well.

Interestingly, the Incubator had no memories of contracting Akemi Homura. Of course there were a few wishes that would make it forget, yet it thought this important knowledge to solve the problem at hand. The other one that seemed to be a twin sister to the irregular Magical Girl was another strange being: she had no potential at all. Again, this could have various explanations... but all of this added together formed a rather confusing picture.

It would take time to sort this out. Maybe Kyubey should take some processing power off of the mathematical proof it was working on...


	34. Tea Party III

"Say... for how long are you going to pout in there?"

It was ridiculous: now she sat on a bench in a small park mostly devoid of people and spoke to her bag; after all, the doll in it would neither come out nor talk to her. Lilly wondered what might have made her do this... but then again, it was most likely that it was about the little girl.

However, she was Mortal World's Witch. Scaring a human was something she did at times; there was no need to ever apologise, seeing that she was beyond them. The only exception was to keep her mask in place. This was most likely what the Dress-Up Witch expected from her right now, though.

Lilly just patted the blue cloth once more and rose to her feet. "Fine with me."

Her voice was even and did not hold any of her annoyance. Now she actually found a distracted Familiar to test Candeloro's fighting capacity on and the other Witch was stubbornly brooding within the bag. "Since you're busy with doing nothing, I guess I will leave you here for a..."  
"No!"

The moment the doll pulled down the zipper of the bag and jumped at her, she did it with a speed that made Lilly wonder whether she could stop time as well. Now however, the human-shaped Witch was trapped in a hug that might have shattered a regular human's bones. "Don't go away! Please don't leave me alone, I'm sorry!"

This sudden action gave the eldritch being pause as she felt the fear surge through her fellow Witch; she even started to sob against her chest, prompting little pieces of yellow yarn to fall down to the ground from there.

 _Great..._

Lilly was not happy with this situation, not at all. How did it even come to that? Just saying that she was going somewhere else for a while was enough to make the doll give in? That was useful knowledge of course, but she was still trapped in a set of ribbons and the one it belonged to spilled yarn onto the ground. They had been lucky that no one saw it yet... but it was only a matter of time.

That was why she quickly put her hands on the doll that almost grappled her with a sigh. "I understand. I won't go away if you stop being stubborn then... besides, you should let go. We get in trouble if we're seen."

"Um... but... but I don't want to..."

At least the ribbons loosened and she stopped crying. That was a start. But what should she do now? At least they did no longer look like a girl getting hugged by a creepy, living doll... no, now they looked like a girl holding a creepy doll. That was no good either, but there was also no quick way to get out of this situation without making the other Witch cry again... which would just throw them into another loop of these events.

"Candel..."

"Mhm?"

The doll seemed content with the position she was in. In fact, that was something Lilly only ever wanted to do with Madoka; right now, it felt really, really unpleasant... yet she decided to keep that away. Maybe the other eldritch being could actually feel it... but even then, she did not care.

 _On the other hand though... this would mean that she has far less trouble guessing my thoughts... which can be a problem._

"Please let go. We still have something to do."

The doll sighed sadly and Lilly suspected that she would break into tears again for a moment. The ribbons retreated, though. Her hips were aching from the pressure, but that was an acceptable pain. She had worse after all, far worse.

The memory of a sharp pain stinging in her chest and the feeling of blood leaving the places it belonged to had her expression harden and she slowly put down the Dress-Up Witch, who seemed to eye her with... was that concern?

"Are you okay, Lilly?"

The human-shaped Witch sighed once more and nodded. "Yes. Just a few unpleasant memories. Can you go back in there?"

She pointed at the bag that had been sitting on the bench like the lifeless piece of cloth it was. Now another piece of cloth went into it, even though this one was full of life. Before she pulled up the zipper though, Lilly cast another glance at the doll. "Say... how do you feel? Any hunger?"

It was unlikely, seeing that the only thing Candeloro emanated right now was a mixture of content and happiness. Nonetheless, she thought she should better ask.

"Um... no, not at all. I'm happy with everyone around!"

This statement was supported by the fact that the other eldritch being's aura had strengthened a bit. Just how did this fit together... was Madoka's wish also trying its hardest to ensure that none of the sane Witches it created needed to kill humans? Would that not go on the premise that this wish was sentient itself?

 _Okay... it originates from a person that is powerful enough to become a goddess... so why would I think it strange if her wish was actually sentient?_

She had seen stranger things after all. Although this prospect was alienating... if this wish _was_ capable to change things according to its own ideas... would that not make it something akin to a god itself? Or was it more like a program that activated in certain circumstances -maybe when she was in contact with the stream of time?- and affected a very specific condition? Could she even influence the effect of this program in that case? After all, it was a part of her... or rather of Homura.

 _But... even if any of this is remotely true... why have I become a Grief Seed in a human body and Candel is still in her actual body? That's not fair!_

She would never come to like this body. The only thing she liked about it was the long, black hair; everything else went completely against her sense of aesthetics, but unfortunately, there was not much Lilly could do against it. She was trapped in this hull of flesh. The only reason she could even take it and not just started to dig out her Grief Seed from this chest was that it was essentially Homura's body. It was her own in some way and she could associate with it.

 _Great... now I want a hat... and my dress... and I'm hungry._

It was really annoying to have so many urgent needs and not knowing which one to fulfill first... her reserves in terms of energy were low... but high enough to sustain herself for a while. Nothing fancier than fire and the bond until she got a few proper meals, though. There were no imminent threats Lilly had to prepare for anyway. Bringing in Kyoko would come in a few days, preferredly before Madoka was drawn into this mess of a month. There was no doubt that Kyubey would somehow manage to get her involved anyway, so she should not even try to think of countermeasures. Her mental capacity could serve better purposes if she concentrated on the tasks at hand... literally, seeing that a yellow ribbon was reluctantly poking her palm. Candel herself was still in the bag, though.

"Lilly? Are you really okay?"

The question was once again full of honest concern, something which she had not many memories of. This was Tomoe Mami with her suspicions, fragility and human morales washed away. She had nothing against the blonde per se... but it was really difficult to handle her properly. The Witch needed to constantly balance the amount of information she gave her. It was easier to talk to her more mature form.

"I am. There were just a few things on my mind."

The doll kept quiet for a few moments while the ribbon retreated; a small wave of relief emanated from the bag. "So that's how it is, I am relieved... um... besides, about that..."

Her voice was muffled as before and Lilly wondered what she wanted to speak about while her eyes wandered around. Just a few children playing out of hearing distance and no other people at this moment. None that she could see or feel. The Familiar was coming their way... thankfully from behind the humans. Maybe it did not even smell them because the human-shaped Witch suppressed her aura.

"You are really smart, right?"

Now that caught her off-guard. Lilly did not expect a question like this to come from the doll in her bag. "That's sudden. Why do you ask?"

A few instances of shifting around beneath the blue cloth before she got a response: "Um... it's just... I think you are a lot smarter than me. You are so deep in thought all the time... um... well... uh..."

The Dress-Up Witch stopped stammering once Mortal World's Witch sighed. A little bit of appreciation for those nice words sounded like the right thing to do, so Lilly patted the place on the bag where she suspected the doll's head to be a few times. "We are different. It's the very nature of us who originate from humankind to be as different to each other as humans are amongst their own."

It was just a matter of fact and she left it at that. The other Witch should draw her own conclusions if she so desired. "Anyway, I guess it's time to test your fighting capabilities."

One of the children vanished from one second to the next, then another one and then the third. That was an eager Familiar over there. Candel from within the bag emanated uncertainty while Lilly stood and went to walk in the direction where the children disappeared. She did not care for them specifically, yet having saved a few people would sound good if she came in direct contact with Madoka or Sayaka, although she still had to fight down the urge to just go and strangle the blunette in her sleep.

"Um... are you sure? I'm not confident in my abilities..."

So besides her blinding faith in others, this Witch was also annoyingly nervous. Lilly sighed and patted the bag again. "Just keep calm. That's merely a Familiar and you are a full-grown Witch. Once you thoroughly evaluate your power, you get a better idea of it. Besides... don't you want to save those children it sucked into its barrier a few seconds ago?"

"What?!"

The eldritch being snickered inwardly. It was far too easy to read this little companion of hers. The bag started to buckle and bend under Candeloro starting to thrash around. "We have to help them, Lilly!"

"Of course, of course. Just a moment..."

Now she opened up a pathway into the barrier and walked through.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When the two Magical Girls returned, there was no sign of their Witches around.

 _So they did go somewhere..._

"Um... Homura-san? Do you have an idea of where they went?"

Much to Mami's disappointment, the time traveler shook her head. "No. They should be back once Lilly is done with whatever she's doing, though."

The blonde frowned while motioning for her new roommate to take a seat and sat down opposite to the other middle-schooler herself. This sounded as if it happened before.

"Does that... happen regularly?"

She was given a blank stare that told her everything she needed to know and Mami sighed before nodding her understanding. "I see... though I wonder what they might be doing."

Homura on her part did not seem to bother with that, seeing that she transformed and pulled a few crates out of her shield. Then she transformed back and started to organise their contents. "Lilly did something like that when she was born at the beginning of the last loop. I guess that she wants to find out Candeloro's abilities and specifications."

Now this sounded like something the human-shaped Witch would do. In fact, Mami was curious about what her own counterpart was capable of as well... wait.

"Yuri-san... has been born but one and a half months ago?"

A being with only this much experience in life had been playing a dozen people including Kyubey at the same time? Yuri was practically a newborn when she met her for the first time?

"According to her, that is a rather long life for a Witch. Most of them don't manage to live for a month before a Magical Girl kills them."

"I... see."

It made sense in a way, although Mami thought the eldritch being to be at least slightly older. Maybe it was the lingering memories of Homura that helped her to convey that impression.

"Um... if I may ask: what did you mean with 'specifications' before? Is there something besides their magic and appearance that makes Witches distinct?"

The stoic Magical Girl would not have separated this from abilities if it was really connected to it. So what did she mean?

While the time traveler stood and went to put on an apron that was draped over one of the crates, Mami took a closer look at what she had been building on the table and listened to the other girl's voice: "From what she told me, Lilly can neither create a barrier nor summon minions. We spoke about that and decided to blame it on her human body. Since Candeloro seems to have her original Witch-body, she might try to find out whether your Witch can do either of the two."

That did at least sound reasonable, Mami found. On the other hand though, she had not known before that Yuri was unable to do this kind of thing. Maybe she was more of a human-Witch-hybrid after all? But what should the blonde think of her in that case? What exactly was this being and why was it like this...

This train of thought was interrupted when she noticed what exactly Homura just spread out on the table: several different chemicals -though some of them were cleaning materials-, electronic parts, wires and circular metal containers of about twenty to cirty centimeters of height.

"Um... what exactly do you want to do with that?"

The question brought her a blank stare. "I burned through most of my arsenal against Walpurgis, so I have to get more. Pipe-bombs are easy to make and effective against Witches, so that comes first. Then I will go to pay the Yakuza a visit either this evening or tomorrow."

The blonde blinked disbelievingly at her partner's nonchalant tone. Of course the other girl was _used_ to doing that kind of thing, but now that Mami actually understood where she got all this material... she was unsure which of the two was more unsettling: that Homura stole weapons from the Yakuza or that she built her bombs at home.

"T-This is... I see. Do you... um... need any help with that?"

Not that she expected to be of much help to begin with, but she thought she should at least offer. Although it was not really surprising that the raven-haired girl shook her head slightly while starting to mix the chemicals with utmost precision. "There is no need to. I will be done before dinner anyway."

"I see..."

This was something the blonde preferred not to get her hands on. She understood that Homura needed those bombs and every other weapon she could get her hands on... but it still made her shiver.

"I will go and make you some tea then."

There was no response and she actually did not expect one.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Filling the pipe until the mark, stop. Putting the detonator on top so that the wire reached inside and sealing it up. Setting the completed bomb aside for the mixture to harden. Repeat.

It was a process she had long since gotten used to. Homura barely even thought about what she did while her hands worked almost by themselves. Normally, her thoughts were with the question of how to try to keep Madoka away from the world of Magical Girls. Today however, she reminisced the one day that brought her to become a weapon thief.

 _Who would have thought that something you said out of spite would prove so useful in the long run, Miki Sayaka..._

The blunette had just tried to discredit her... maybe to blame her as well. In the end however, her complaining about the sudden explosions of Homura's pipe-bombs whenever time resumed gave the time-traveler a chance to advance. Her arsenal had grown and she stopped being just a weak girl with strong magic. Bit by bit, the weak Akemi Homura she once were was washed away and with every bit of this new persona she developed, her skill with firearms increased.

A clinking noise was heard when Mami placed a cup of tea by her side -as far away from any of the parts as possible, she noticed. It was no surprise that the blonde was put off by that... she might never have guessed that there would ever be someone sitting in her living room and build bombs.

The raven-haired Magical Girl gave the other one an appreciative nod before returning to her task. Once in a while though, her fingers would stop and wander to the cup.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When Lilly's feet connected with the cool concrete of the balcony, the Witch sighed in relief. It was a bit tiresome that she had to leave and enter this way, yet it was necessary; Akemi Yuri still did not exist in this world after all. Besides, she would be forced to go to school if too many people noticed her.

Candel, who stayed put in the bag, let out a sigh of content as well when she felt the auras of their Magical Girls being nearby. Said girls were looking their way while Lilly pushed open the door and let herself in; Homura was in the middle of building pipe-bombs, Mami observed the other girl with badly hidden curiousity. Not that her sister noticed, though; she was focussed on her task.

"Welcome back, you two... um... where would Candel-... be?"

The human-shaped Witch noticed very well how the blonde had to stop herself from saying the full name. Maybe she accepted that it was too bothersome to pronounce it completely as well... although it was more likely that Mami just wanted to go along with the Akemis.

"I'm here!", a muffled voice called out as the doll started to thrash around in the bag. "Let me out, Lilly!"

 _You had no problem opening the zipper from within an hour ago..._

Despite that thought, she decided to be lenient today and left this uncommented. A quick movement opened the bag and the familiar shape of the Dress-Up Witch jumped out; she landed on the floor before making another leap and winding her arms around Mami. "I'm home!"

While the momentum of the eldritch being almost had the blonde fall backwards, it was mostly her surprised expression that amused Lilly. She smirked while putting off her shoes and placing them right next to the door, then slumped down next to Homura. "The same goes for me."

"Welcome back, Lilly."

Her sister did not even look up from the wires she was connecting right now. To think that a task like this once made her shiver... it felt more like a distant dream. "What did you test out?"

Straight to the point, so her counterpart already deduced what she was doing. The smirk on her lips widened and she casually leaned on Homura's shoulder. The warmth against her felt nice.

"I guess we can feed Candel by just carrying her around larger groups of people. Maybe we need a larger bag to carry her in, though... I got a few looks because some people thought I had a cat in there."

She was not even completely finished before the other Witch cried out and pointed at her with the tip of one ribbon: "And Lilly was mean! She scared a cute little girl!"

So the doll was still bothered by that. It was not even a big deal, that child would not even think about it anymore by now. However, hearing that had Mami eye her with an expression that already told her of the lecture she would receive soon. Before the blonde could even do so much as open her mouth though, another voice gave her pause: "Lilly can scare grown men, so that's no surprise."

Which was proven already, seeing that there had been an instance where a high-schooler tried to hit on her for whatever reason in the last timeline. When he would not leave her alone though, Mortal World's Witch decided that it was enough with playing nice for the day: she broke the boy's arm and told him a few things that made him a shaking wreck when she left the place.

 _In retrospect... maybe I shouldn't have told him in detail how easily a human neck can snap... that might have been a bit too much._

On the other hand though, he asked for it by ignoring her third and last warning to leave her alone. She did have patience with those pitiful beings, but at some point, even she stopped caring.

"I didn't mean it like that! The girl didn't even do anything, Lilly was just mean to her!"

And Candel still tried to get the Magical Girls to chide her while the human-shaped Witch raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you even put it like this? She wondered what was in my bag, so I showed her and that's it. She wouldn't have asked if you hadn't wiggled around so much in there."

That was sound logic and all of them knew it. Candel deflated and lowered her arm while Mami patted her head reassuringly. The doll's price-tag sunk and she kept quiet while Homura finished another bomb with the clacking noise of the detonator being fixated on the pipe.

"Anything else you found out?"

Of course Homura would not bother that much. At least she did not show that she did, but the Magical Girl should know very well how easily Lilly could see how her eyes turned to them for split-seconds once in a while. Mortal World's Witch smirked and nodded at her companion. "Show them."

"Don't want to."

With that said, the doll buried her head in Mami's chest completely, much to the blonde's surprise. Lilly sighed and shrugged. "Whatever. I assessed that her combat prowess is big enough to take on other Witches. Candel destroyed a Familiar we found before with ease."

Homura just nodded while the other Magical Girl looked down at the pouting Witch thoughtfully. Lilly cast a glance at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was almost time for dinner. As if on cue though, her stomach started to grumble loudly, which had every other occupant of the room look her way, which in turn prompted her to sigh again. "What are you looking at me? Candel had something to eat, but I didn't."

Mami giggled while gently separating the ribbons wound around her and putting down the Dress-Up Witch. "I will start making dinner then."

This brought Candel to jump back on her shoulder the moment she stood straight again. "I'm helping!"

"Wait."

Both the blonde and her Witch stopped dead in their tracks when Homura called out to them. The time traveller had stopped filling pipes for a moment and was eyeing the doll warily... Lilly had an idea what she thought about.

"Candel... you can cook, right?"

Now the little being crossed her arms in front of her thin waist. Did that hit her pride? Did she even have pride? So many questions Lilly had to answer... at least she had the time to do so.

"Of course I can! Why would you think I couldn't?"

That only brought her sister to look at her. "Because the one time Lilly tried, we needed a good four hours to clean up the kitchen."

Needless to say that she still remembered the tummyache she had from that day... this was mostly the reason why she would never attempt to cook something again or learn how to do it. If she remembered correctly, another Mami once taught Homura how it was done and her sister was proficient enough to get a decent meal prepared. That was enough for her.

"Oh... I never knew... I will be careful then. Let's go, Mami!"

The Magical Girl smiled at her coutnerpart encouragingly before nodding at the other two. "Excuse us then."

And off they went.

While silence took a hold of the living room, Lilly went to stare out of the window and into the reddening sky while Homura behind her finished with the set of bombs, put them into a corner in an ordered fashion and went to clean the table. Then she sat down next to her and they stared outside together.

"I still wonder if this was a good idea."

Yes, she could understand that. The Magical Girl was not the only one concerned about it: if Mami snapped now with all the knowledge she had, she would either kill her or Lilly first, then go for the other and then for Madoka. If this was to happen... it would be a catastrophe and the Witch was actually counting on Candel being able to stop a potential rampage now. It was likely that those two could not hurt each other just like Homura and her could not, so when the doll bound the blonde in place, this might be able to actually hold her down for good.

"I know what you mean. Candel should keep her occupied, though... but if worst comes to worst, there should be a way."

This was another of the reasons she did not plan on telling Mami the extent of her powers. Only her fire was known to the other Magical Girl and not even that to its full potential. For as long as Mami had no idea that her life was in Lilly's hands once she entered a barrier the human-shaped Witch was in, she could still trick her if necessary.

She learned what it brought to have even the slightest bit of trust in anyone but herself not long ago. Although she might get along with Kyoko again... right.

"Besides, I will make a detour for Kazamino when we pay a visit to the military base."

They only visited the one close to Mitakihara and the base around Tokyo anyway. Homura would be gone for a whole day for the latter.

Her sister nodded slightly and cast a glance her way. "I get the feeling that you like Kyoko."

Which had Lilly raise an eyebrow in return. "Please. She's reliable and I don't need to watch my every word around her, that's it. I regard her with respect."

"I see."

She said that, but the knowing smile on Homura's lips made it clear how much the human-shaped Witch failed to mask her fondness for the redhead. They got along before and surely they would do so again.

 **. . .**

Had this been a bad romance story, a certain blonde would have been standing right around the corner and now suspect her former partner to become her rival in love.

Seeing that this is not a bad romance story though, Mami actually did what she said she would, namely making dinner. Although she had to admit that it was a bit strange with her Witch around. Candel jumped through the kitchen whenever she was not holding anything and had a rather... unique way of dealing with the various tasks that came with cooking.

For example did the doll decide that it was too difficult to hold a knife with her arms, so she simply used the ribbons themselves to cut the vegetables they decided to use for the Curry.

The Magical Girl was a bit surprised by the pragmatic methods, yet did not mind them much at last. The eldritch being was a great help and really proficient despite Homura's pessimistic expectations.

"It's fun to cook with you!"

The blonde nodded at her little helper in return. "Likewise. You are really skilled."

She meant that. Everything she had the little doll do had been done with expertise. Nonetheless, a few thoughts were bothering her still. "Um... do you mind answering a question of mine?"

"Hm?"  
Her more serious tone had Candeloro stop amidst the room while balancing two plates with ingredients on her arms. "Of course. What is it?"

Mami was not entirely sure on how to adress the topic, although she figured that the direct approach might work just fine with her Witch. She seemed completely open-minded, so...

"What do... What do you think of Yuri-san?"

"Oh, Lilly? She's my friend and I like her!"

If she had a mouth, Candel had most likely smiled right now. As it was however, the blonde could only hear the other beings' cheerful voice. It made her smile as well.

"I guess I agree with you..."


	35. Tea Party IV

"Are... Are you really sure that this is fine?"

Mami was sitting on her bed and eyed the Akemis who stood a few steps away, clad in exactly the same purple pyjamas. It was somewhat unsettling to see the two of them look completely the same when Yuri tried to distinguish herself from Homura on most occasions. Especially after seeing the raven-haired Witch destroy an amount of food that would have been enough to satiate six people, the blonde was not sure what to think of this newest revelation.

 _They are... sleeping together?_

Which was the topic of discussion right now: Mami only had one Futon there for guests, so she actually offered her bed to the other one and was quite alright with sleeping on the couch. As it was however, Homura and her Witch just looked at each other before declining. The other Magical Girl then went to explain that Yuri regularly slept by her side anyway.

"It's fine."

She sighed over the nonchalant response to her question before nodding slightly. "Very well. If there is anything you need, feel free to tell me."

She doubted that either of them would need anything over the night, seeing that they decided to take a break from hunting for today to get the most pressing matters sorted out.

A gentle squeezing around her shoulder made itself noticeable and pulled the blonde out of her own thoughts. Candel had her arms wound around her while sitting right next to 'her' Magical Girl. "I'm with you for the night then!"

The kind gesture made her smile and she gently patted the doll's head. "Alright."

While they were busy with each other for a moment, the two Akemi's were already in the process of slipping under the blanket and came to lie next to each other, almost shoulder to shoulder. Mami really wondered about their antics sometimes, yet she got used to a few of them in the past weeks already. It was still a bit strange that all of this happened, but there was no helping it anyway. She would have to accept this.

"Good night, Homura-san, Yuri-san... Candel."

She regarded her new roommates with a happy smile before turning off the lamp on her nightstand and vanishing under her own blanket while the little doll came to rest right next to her, snuggled to the blonde's arm with something that could almost be purring. She seemed happy as well.

 _Time travel, Witches and our fate... I do not care right now._

She was just happy not to be alone anymore.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

As the night progressed, a certain Witch found herself unable to sleep. She did not want to roll around or let go of the person she was holding onto, either. On the other hand though, Candeloro just could not find any rest. She was still busy with understanding everything around her.

Lilly was her friend and Mami was more like a big sister... or little sister? Actually, she was not sure.

However, what the Dress-Up Witch knew without doubt was that she was genuinely happy. She had been born before her time, so she could be friends with everyone even sooner, although Lilly was right about being careful... or was she? Yes, most likely. Mortal World's Witch knew much more than her, she was sure of that. That was why Candel tried to act properly when she told her to do or not to do something.

 _She could be a bit nicer, though..._

On the other hand, the doll knew that her friend had been born like that. There was nothing she could do about it.

 _I like her anyway._

She thought that the other eldritch being would eat her as she ate all the other Witches so far at first. What a relief that Lilly told her she would not do that.

There were memories of other people besides the Akemis in her head, though. Candel wondered whether she could be friends with them. An enthusiastic blunette and a pinkette with a kind smile. She did not know their names, but she was interested in meeting them. The same went for this harsh-looking redhead she recalled. Sakura Kyoko...

Thinking about that name had her feel weird. She found herself strangely attached to that name and the few memories connected to it. Maybe she should ask Mami what that meant? It must be something born from 'her' heart after all.

Candel slowly let go of the Magical Girl she originated from and looked down at her peaceful face. She could almost remember to see it in a mirror instead of from the outside. The memory was fuzzy, though.

 _So you will be me and I was you..._

It felt a bit confusing to be alive at the same time as her alter ego was. On the other hand, this was a unique opportunity for both of them to have company. Maybe this was what made Homura smile at times as well.

There was something strange however: Candel could not recall anything besides cooking, baking, making tea and those few people she thought about before. She knew that there had to be something... but in the end, she did not care. Mami and her were still separate entities and therefore, it was fine.

 _But I still feel so naked..._

Her barrier was not there and neither were her gentle minions. Candel did not even know how to summon them... but even if she did, she had not enough power to do it right now. If she could, she would have done so at once. Just how did Lilly manage to get by without her barrier?

A look down to the Futon revealed both raven-haired girls sleeping next to each other in relative peace. Each of them shifted uncomfortably once in a while, yet they seemed to be alright.

She just wanted to go to sleep, but even several hours of lying still and hoping for it to come to her did not help. Candeloro was simply unable to rest, so she decided to go around a bit. That was why the doll jumped down from the bed and landed on her spiralled legs with ease. Since those were flexible and could help her head off the fall, she made almost no sounds at all. The barely audible tapping of her ribbons on the floor was just as difficult to perceive.

The Dress-Up Witch wandered over to the door and expanded her right arm to reach the handle. She pulled it downwards before wandering into the living room and leaving the door open the slightest bit. Like this, she made it so that she could slip one arm through the gap and open it again when she decided to return.

When Candel looked around the room however, she became aware of a piercing, red gaze lying on her. Yet she stopped her arm from snapping forward and smashing its face as she did out of reflex the last time she saw it.

Kyubey, the Incubator. The doll had vague memories of it, but most of it boiled down to the fact that this being was an enemy and should not be trusted. In fact, Lilly explicitly told her not to talk to the creature at all no matter what it said.

 _'I take it we haven't been introduced yet. My name is Kyubey.'_

The words rang out right in her head and made her flinch, but Candel already decided to keep her word. This being was creepy and she did not want to talk to it anyway, so the Witch quickly scurried through the room and hoped that it would just continue to sit there.

Fortunately, it only turned its head to follow her with its gaze. The doll quickly opened another door and vanished into the closest room available, which turned out to be the bathroom. Now she stood there with her ribbons slightly slithering on the blank tiles, wondering what to do in here.

She recalled that it felt nice to have a bath... but her body would be soaked full of water if she tried that. She could not brush her teeth, either... she had no mouth after all. Besides, the toothpaste would only stain the cloth.

The price-tag sunk again when Candel realised that there was nothing she could do in this room. It was completely unnecessary for her to...

Then her gaze fell onto the mirror right over the sink. She could at least take a look at herself, right?

A quick jump brought the doll onto the bowl-shaped extension of the wall and she stretched her legs a bit to get a good view.

When Candel saw herself for the first time, she stopped in surprised silence. This was exactly like she imagined herself to be.

 _I..._

When her own arms slowly slid over her face and body, so did the arms of her reflection. This was really her.

 _I like that. I like me._

This body was nice. It felt right to have it and the Witch relaxed upon this realisation. Then however, another thought had her stop feeling herself:

 _Wait... how does Lilly cope with not having her own body?_

The doll could hardly imagine how uncomfortable a human body would feel in comparison to her flexible form, so how must her friend think about this? Her scent indicated that Homulilly was a big Witch, so she was most likely feeling really weird in this body.

Yet the other Witch never complained, a fact that had the younger one respect her for yet another reason.

The ribbons let go of her and Candel slowly felt her price-tag just to make sure she did not hurt it while being in that bag. Then she sighed and eyed the door. Should she really go out there again? On the other hand though: what should she do in here?

 _I could jump out of the window and go around... but all the other doors are locked..._

So that would not work, either. She was stuck.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When Lilly woke up the next morning, it was because of the rustling Mami produced while pushing back her blanket and sitting up. Homura stirred to conciousness but a moment later and eyed them with a questioning gaze.

Mortal World's Witch sat up just as their roommate did before and took a look at the clock. Then she sighed. "Must you stand up at eight in the morning on a Sunday?"

The Magical Girl just smiled at her in return. "A good routine is always helpful. I normally do most of the cleaning on Sundays... and besides, I have to go to bed early so I can get up for school."

It made sense, yet Lilly did not like it one bit. She had no need to go to school... but so be it. They could use the additional time.

"Whatever..."

Then she noticed several things: firstly, Candeloro was not where she should be, namely hanging from Mami's shoulder. Secondly, said eldritch being's scent came from somewhere within the flat.

 _Did she go and get a snack? Mhm.. unlikely._

Maybe the Dress-Up Witch had trouble sleeping last night. Lilly had some of those herself the first week because she had to adjust... at least she guessed that this was the reason. A normal Witch only slept because of exhaustion, but this human body of hers demanded it naturally. Candel lacked a body like this, though... so she might not be in much need of sleep.

"Um... by any chance, is Candel with you?"

The blonde just noticed her missing Witch. Lilly shook her head and threw back the blanket while Homura rose to her feet by the eldritch being's side. They exchanged a glance and nodded at each other. The Magical Girl transformed and produced one of the suitcases with their clothes while her counterpart went to retrieve the last member to their little group. When she opened the door though, she noticed that it had only been leaning. So the little doll really went to explore.

Then she saw something else and chuckled about it. Suddenly, everything made a lot more sense. Not that it helped in improving her mood all that much, though.

Lilly just opened the door completely and went around the living room while completely ignoring the Incubator on the table. It just sat there and watched her anyway, so why should she care about it? Her aura was suppressed and even the traces that came through when she slept were overshadowed by the Magical Girls around her.

A quick glance into the kitchen revealed that nothing happened there. So she did not go to make tea or something like this.

Following that, the eldritch being went to where she knew Candel was. She just tried to fool Kyubey and even if she had not been doing that, she had to wash her face.

When Lilly entered the bathroom however, she found the other Witch dozing peacefully... while sitting in the sink and wrapped in her own arms.

The sight made her shake her head and lift up the doll before setting her aside and turning on the hot water. Candel stirred, but kept slumbering after all; the other eldritch being carefully rubbed her forehead, cheeks, lips, nose and eyelids. New vigor came to her senses and she felt a bit better than before when she grabbed a towel and dried her face.

 _I can see why they do this regularly..._

Fortunately for her, this human body reacted in the same way that of a regular human did, so Lilly always had enough material to study on what to do with herself.

"Oh... good morning, Lilly."

When the Witch averted her gaze slightly to look at Candel, she saw the doll slowly unwrap her arms and stretch them towards the ceiling... then touch the ceiling. Upon contact, her... new acquaintance looked upwards with a gust of surprise before quickly retracting the ribbons.

"Good morning... say, I do understand that you were in here... but why were you in here of all places?"

That was something that bothered her a bit: the other Witch might be afraid of Kyubey or simply did what she asked her to do... but even if she did, why was the doll in the bathroom? She could have gone to every other room after all.

Candel on her part got to her feet and bounced up and down for a moment before fixing her price-tag; following that, she jumped upwards to stand right on the corner of the sink. "Um... well... uh... I... I didn't want to go out with Kyubey around, so I just stayed in here..."

Which she already knew. Lilly's raised eyebrow had the doll continue: "And... well... I just went into the closest room when I saw him... it sitting there... uh... Lilly? Is Kyubey still there?"

The question made her sigh in response before nodding. "Yes, unfortunately."

Now the doll lowered her head and went to look at the few drops of water that remained on the porcelain. Then she turned and the human-shaped Witch got the feeling that she was looked at. "Could you turn it on for a moment?"

She did not think much about whether to do or not to do that and just had the hot water flow again. Candel held her arms into the stream and then turned off the water herself. Once that was done, she went to hold her arms over herself and wrung them out; this had a rather huge amount of water splash all over her... at least the Witch had the decency to take a step towards the center of the sink first. Lilly watched with a mixture of surprise and curiousity while the cloth body of the doll soaked up every last drop. It was an interesting way to do this kind of thing, she had to admit that.

"I feel much better now!", was the cheerful exclamation of the Dress-Up Witch before she made a leap onto Lilly's shoulder. The tips of her legs were the slightest bit wet, just enough to be noticeable through the thin cloth of her pyjamas. This might go for her whole body right now and it would surely need some time to dry properly.

In fact, the raven-haired girl did not mind the doll on her shoulder all that much. She might prefer her to walk on the ground, but Candel had almost no weight, so she barely even noticed her.

Then she proceeded to walk back into the living room where Mami was already sitting at the table and frowning at Kyubey. The Incubator did not seem to mind.

"Look what I found."

Now both of them turned their heads, although she did her best to ignore the Incubator. She would try to stay unnoticed by it and act as if she could not see it to begin with. Mami nodded at her when she saw the little doll on her shoulder. "I see. Would you like some tea, Yuri-san?"

Tea in itself sounded good, but Lilly preferred to get a few things done beforehand, so she shook her head. "Not yet."  
Then she proceeded to put the doll onto the table and went into the bedroom, where she found Homura who was just putting on her skirt and threw a glance her way the moment she closed the door.

"What's the plan for today, Onee-chan?"

Even when they no longer pretended, Lilly got used to calling the Magical Girl that. Besides, it had a nice ring to it. She was regarded with silence while she threw her own pyjamas aside and went for Homura's casual clothes. They needed to get a few more sets ready in the next few days... and she wanted her dress. Maybe with a hat this time...

"We will sort out the few things we can have lying around in here, clean up a bit and then go patrolling. Shopping comes tomorrow while Tomoe Mami is in school."

Then she would put going to Kazamino on the day after. So what to do today...

 _I guess I should help myself to a meal... and I can take Candel for a walk._

She would rather keep an eye on the Dress-Up Witch for the time being, even when it was rather sure that she was not playing an act with that behaviour of hers. Better safe than sorry.

"I see. You do that and us Witches will go separately. I have a few more things to test."

Homura nodded while lacing up her bowtie, just as Lilly slipped into the pair of jeans she decided on. They nodded at each other and put on their slippers again before leaving the room and joining Mami. It was nice to be alone with herself at times, but they did not have enough time for such luxuries. She would not drop her defenses around this blonde and could not afford to do it.

"My, you two look lovely."

Even when she was nice and all that, Lilly refused to believe that her whole understanding of the world changed so drastically that she would not be a potential threat. The worst case was on her mind ever since the day before: if she connected the wrong dots, Mami would notice that to 'save the world', all she had to do was kill Kaname Madoka before she became a Magical Girl. That in turn would prompt her and Homura to kill Mami, which would render all the effort they made void and be a severe hit on her sister's confidence.

 _This must not happen._

Because if there was one thing Homulilly was aware of, it was Akemi Homura's state of mind. She knew that the time traveler was constantly balancing on the breaking point, knew that this balance was not easily disturbed... but if one managed to put her out of it, she would fall into the abyss that was her own heart. The abyss that spawned a being like her.

It was still too early for that to happen. In fact, Lilly preferred if that never happened.

The human-shaped Witch continued to ignore Kyubey while sitting down, her Magical Girl taking the seat to her left. Mami sat opposite to Homura and Candel was hiding behind the blonde's back, all the while peeking over it to look whether the Incubator was still there.

 _'I really wonder what happened yesterday. Are you really alright, Mami?'_

The question almost sounded as if the creature was actually worried about the blonde, yet she knew that this was as much of a fake as the miracles Kyubey created to fulfill wishes. Humans only believed something outside of their understanding to be a miracle, that was it.

"And again, I am fine."

Mami sounded exasparated, so maybe the creature asked her this particular question before and just tried it again for emphasis of its "caring attitude"... if it knew what Lilly did to the Magical Girl, it would just stop trying.

"Wonder as much as you want, Kyubey. But do it somewhere else and leave us alone."

While Lilly continued to look somewhere else and sometimes right at the Incubator without giving the impression that she actually saw it, Mami nodded her approval of her sister's words and the rat took it as a cue to stand up and walk off towards the hallway. It turned its head back before vanishing around the corner: _'I don't get it.'_

Then it was gone and Candel sighed in relief before making a high jump over Mami and landing on the table with an... almost graceful bounce. "So, what do we do today?"

Mami smiled leniently upon the display of eagerness before casting a glance at them. Maybe she figured that they spoke about their plans, or maybe she just wanted to have their opinion before saying something herself. Whatever the reason, Homura took the cue and told the doll: "Tomoe-san and I will sort out a few things here and go patrolling afterwards. Lilly said that she wanted to take a stroll with you again, so that's what you will be doing in the afternoon."

Then her sister's gaze went over to her. "I don't know how long you will be gone, but try to make it back before sunset."

"Okay!"

Candel quickly jumped onto her shoulder and the older Witch sighed in resignation. Not that she minded the doll being cheerful... but if she was in that mood almost constantly, she would definitely annoy her sooner or later.

"Could we have breakfast first?"

Not that she would stay hungry for long anyway, but a little appetizer could not be wrong.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

She served a purpose.

When she thought her prayer failed her, she finally fulfilled her dream.

Happiness washed all over her.

There was nothing else she could think about.

Other beings came, but they did not understand her noble cause. They did not understand anything and so she killed them to take their souls.

In the end... this was another purpose: to be as powerful as possible, so that the one that defeated her would be even more devious than her. The cycle would continue.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"I wondered, Lilly..."

"Hm?"

"Uh... how can you eat so much?"

Even when they had to converse through a layer of cloth and make sure that no one was close enough to overhear them, Mortal World's Witch found it interesting to do so. Candel had a refreshingly different and far more direct perspective than Mami... or even Homura, for that matter. There was no need to analyze her every word and put it into context as she had to do with the blonde; this doll always spoke her mind, at least for now.

Maybe this particular character trait of hers would change over the time she grew out of the bare human shell that remained after her birth, just as it was with Lilly. Her behaviour became a bit calmer and the pride went into balance with her understanding of herself. She had been quite a bit more arrogant in the beginning... and clingy on top of that. Not that she would stop sharing a bed with Homura, but she faintly remembered the urge to cuddle as close to her sister as possible.

 _Maybe that was a subconcious expression... did I want to return into her soul?_

That might very well be possible, seeing just how scared she was of this world at first. Arrogance and silence were her best means to shroud this particular feeling, but it was there. The more Lilly learned however, the stronger she got and the more time passed without her being harmed, even this most primeval instinct that she shared with humans went into balance. Which did not mean that she could do much against it if it hit her with its full force. The powerful reflex that made her kill Miki Sayaka without wasting even a single thought on the trouble it might cause was a good example; this burning fear of death that held her alife.

Homulilly was a powerful Witch, but she was also a fearful and paranoid one. She survived because she combined those traits. Never to underestimate her opponent, she could find a way to fulfill her desires. Had she not been an irregular by her kin's standards, she might only care about observing the people of Earth. As it was however, she shared a goal with her human counterpart.

Yet Lilly knew that this also served another purpose: for as long as she was in control, there was no need to be overly afraid. To keep herself in check, she had to make sure to always have a plan ready just in case something went wrong.

"Um... Lilly?"

The reluctant question had her return from the self-analysis with a quiet sigh. It was a bother to understand oneself so well at times. She could never lie to herself.

"Sorry, I was thinking."

She was thinking so much that she actually forgot what the doll asked her before.

"Oh... okay. Are you making another plan?"

The innocent question made her smirk and lightly pat the bag. "Maybe."

Then Lilly proceeded to follow the trace they were after for half an hour now. She could have moved faster of course, yet deemed it unnecessary. They had time. Besides, this creature's scent was a bit odd. Nothing she ever smelled before and she killed quite a few Witches, so it was most likely one that did not appear in the last timeline... yet she could not place the name with any of the eldritch beings she barely recalled from Homura's extended memory.

On top of that, this one had an aura of certainty that most of the others lacked. Of course everyone was sure about being in the right with their cravings, but this one seemed to be proud of herself as well. So she had either an arrogant Witch, or a strong one.

 _Maybe I should take care of that one myself... but then I had to sniff out another one for Candel to fight against._

Which meant that she would let the little doll try her hardest and kill off the other creature in case her companion did not manage to defeat it.

"Um... I'm not sure if it is a good idea to let me fight someone so strong... I mean... I don't think I can do it..."

"You have to test your limits."

The Dress-Up Witch kept quiet after that response, either thinking about it or pouting. It was true that she _should_ have the doll start with something smaller until she had a few more reserves... but then again, Lilly could easily kill any Witch sans Walpurgis... and Kriemhild Gretchen, of course. She remained cautious in the past because there were rarely strong people around to pull her out if necessary. Especially during her episode in Kazamino. Thinking of that town made her recall the mixing scents of so many Witches and Familiars that it actually overshadowed even medium-sized crowds of humans.

 _Maybe Candel's aura will do something similar when I feed her enough..._

The thought was tempting. Her biggest problem was being in close proximity to humans after all... but it would take time to find out about that.

A jumper was walking up a building to her right... but what did she care? Lilly's goal was but another two turns away and thankfully, Candel either did not notice the man or did not realise that he was enchanted and would soon kill himself. It was hard to tell when a Witch Kiss was put on someone, though.

 _Now then... time to go and fight you..._


	36. Needles

Just a short notice for all those that got a notification for a new chapter: as of right now (4th of January), I fixed a few mistakes in the past chapters and split one of the larger ones in two separate chapters. That is what you got alerted for; the next actual chapter will come on Saturday, just as usual.

* * *

This was strange. There were others like her in her realm.

Why would that be? Each of them was separate... what did they want?

The coat started to itch again, but she ignored it. It was alright.

But... what was that? Why was her realm... burning?

 **. . .**

"It's your fault, Lilly!"

"It's not!"

"Yes it is!"

This continued for quite a while, wherein two Witches ran through an endless meadow under a sky coloured in blue and with green clouds. Behind them was a horde of minions that had a striking resemblance to Kyubey -only with far bigger heads-; behind the minions, however, was a large wall of purple fire that expanded ever further. Everything behind them was burned out of existence.

"It's your fault for not attacking those things!"

"Why did you had to spit fire at them?! They are cute!"

Mortal World's Witch refrained from commenting on that. Nothing that looked like Kyubey was cute in any way... on the other hand though, this might be what those creatures were about to do with their own magic. Candel was still young and not yet well fed, so maybe she could not resist the minions' aura despite being a Witch.

Unfortunately though, there had been too many of them for her to dispose of by herself, especially because she was still low on energy. Fire was Lilly's only option aside from stopping time and running away... in retrospect, that might have been the better choice. Now that the flames were lit, they would not stop even if she paused the flow of time.

 _Should have thought about that before..._

Now it was too late and her lungs were burning from running so much. The minions did not seem keen on slowing down and one of them spit a needle at her before, which was the reason her right sleeve had a little hole and was bloody.

Lilly sighed and got a hold of the doll that was jumping in rapid succession to keep up with her before stopping time at last. Everything but the fire became monochrome and she continued to run, all the while clutching the surprised Dress-Up Witch to her chest.

Time only remained in stasis for what felt like ten seconds, that was enough for the fire to reach the frozen minions and burn them to death. When Lilly let it resume, they were at least without followers on their heels. Nonetheless, this could not continue and she was tired by now.

"Can you... still... go?"

It came between heavier breaths, seeing that even with her supernatural physique and stamina, Homulilly could not run in a full sprint for that long without consequences.

Candeloro on her part seemed mostly unfazed, although her body might be less affected by what humans called tiredness, at least in that regard. The doll nodded and thereby confirmed the question while her carrier quickly put together something that almost resembled a plan. "Go ahead... kill Quitterie..."

Once the Witch of Needles died, her barrier would vanish and take the fire with it. Everything would be fine if this just happened fast enough, but that was as quick as she could go. Candel was faster than her, Lilly realised. What kept her ahead on most occasions was the time stop.

"B-But I can't just leave..."

"Go ahead!", she interrupted the younger one decisively. "I'm fine."

Then she used her Telekinesis to throw the doll forward and her surprised scream was soon replaced by the crackling of fire around the human-shaped Witch. Nonetheless, she saw her companion jump ahead a bit faster than she did before. At least that was as expected.

This was the last thing she noticed, however. The additional drain on her small reserves sent her stumbling; a moment, later she fell head-first into the ground and remained there. Her lungs were burning and her sides felt as if a dozen of those needles pierced them. Lilly's breath was a staccato and she only barely managed to turn around so she could lie on her back. The purple flames around her emanated a soothing warmth while the Witch felt her clothes everywhere, drenched in sweat and almost glued to her body. Her field of vision became black for a moment, but she remained concious.

No coherent thought managed to get through her brain right now. She was just there, she was safe. She would recover.

 **. . .**

Looking back told her that the fire fell behind quite a bit despite of how fast it spread. There was no way she could sense Lilly now, the scent of the flames drowned out about everything else. Only the feeling of another Grief Seed right ahead of her remained. Candeloro could feel the surprise of Quitterie and understood it. One's barrier was home, so seeing it on fire must be harsh.

Once the doll realised what she was thinking, she quickly shook her head and compressed her legs further to make longer jumps. She would have preferred to fly... but unfortunately, this was only possible in her own barrier. At least the fabric of her legs was of a good quality and would not be strained too much by being used like that.

Her next jump sent the Dress-Up Witch right through a large door in green and white that stood amidst the endless meadow. The other eldritch being's presence was now right in front of her and when Candel stopped to look around, she saw it stand a few meters away... cast in a cloak and with Kyubey's head.

 _Wait... what?_

This thing had Kyubey's head... just what kind of Witch was that? Not even the doll liked this scheming feline, so why...

Somehow, she knew that Lilly would tell her to stop wondering and start shooting, so Candel sighed and hoped that this would not take long. Otherwise, she would have to continue running until the Witch of Needles burned out.

They continued to stare at each other while the doll wound her right arm around itself and had it change shape into the barrel of a musket; when that was done, she pointed it at the other Witch and shooted once to test the waters. The bullet flew in a straight path right at the other being's face... and she dodged mostly. It ripped off the right ear of the abomination's head, yet Quitterie did not seem to mind. The surprise changed into acceptance and the Witch came charging at her.

Candel compressed her legs and leaped a good fifteen meters into the sky while pointing her arm downwards; however, her opponent jumped as well, thus bridging over the four meters that separated them in height. The doll quickly had her left arm stretch out and slapped the other Witch in the face with as much force as she could muster, prompting her to sail backwards. Yet Quitterie's arm shout out from behind the cloak and a long needle pierced right through Candel's upper body.

The smaller being screeched in pain while the bigger one smashed into the ground. Something slowly bubbled out of the wound, but she quickly wound a few of her spare ribbons around it. That did not stop the burning sensation in this place, though.

 _It hurts. It hurts!_

Lilly never told her how much it hurt and she never expected that...

But still, she had to carry on. Her friend trusted her.

So Candel tried her best to ignore the pain in her chest and had her left arm change shape into another barrel. She recalled how Mami could summon hundreds of them at once... which she could not.

However, her weapons were not limited to one shot each in exchange; a fact Quitterie came to realise when Candeloro rammed her legs into the ground and started to unleash a hail of bullets even the agile Witch could not get away from. She could barely take the heat in her arms from all the explosive propulsions, yet the doll continued to produce one projectile after the other and shoot them at her opponent. She was exhausted, but this could not end with her admitting defeat. She promised.

Glancing blows amassed while the Witch of Needles tried to get into a safe position, but there was none: the doll could easily turn around due to the length of her legs. There was nothing in this place that could be used for cover and so, the cloak and head were ripped apart; only for a slender body of black matter with needles for arms and legs to become visible. It was just a mask the Witch wore, Candel realised when she saw the oval-shaped, green head. Some of her bullets were deflected with the thin needles, but more kept coming and pierced right through the other eldritch being; others dented the arms and legs ever further upon impact. She could jump with those legs, yet she never tried after she was shot out of her second attempt... now she just got hit after hit until she collapsed.

If Quitterie tried to send her something at last, Candeloro did not notice. The heat of the sustained fire melted her arms for a good part; they were dangling around her body, hanging on little more than a few fibres of cloth. Her legs ached terribly from the pressure they had to hold against and her chest was throbbing. When the doll looked down, she saw something in a light orange stain the ribbon she put over the wound. Was that her blood?

Candel's body slowly went numb and in this very moment, she felt the heat increase ever more. Lilly's flames reached her and burned the little bit of energy she had left out of her limbs. The Dress-Up Witch fell with a pained sigh, unable to scream anymore.

Then everything faded to black.

 **. . .**

When reality started to waver around her and the flames vanished from her field of vision, the human-shaped Witch knew that it was over. Quitterie was defeated, one way or another. She just hoped that... wait.

 _Since when do I rely on others? Since when am I attached to others that are not Madoka?_

The thought drilled deep into her concious mind, seeing that she was still breathing heavily and could barely think straight. Why did she start to care for this little doll that was little more than a baby?

 _Maybe because we are alike... she is another Witch, a being of insanity and despair. Stranded within sanity and on a quest of hope..._

The whole situation was paradoxical and yet, Lilly figured that this was exactly why the two of them got along more or less.

Thankfully, this Witch had been lurking within an abandoned building located in the outskirts of the construction site. She could just continue lying on the ground and recovering for a while without anyone noticing. The feeling of wet clothes all around her body was not a good one, but at least bearable. They would dry if given some time. The cold floor against her back calmed Mortal World's Witch and her breathing slowly returned to normal. Lilly's fluttering heart took a bit longer to regain a normal rhythm, but she managed.

Unfortunately though, she had no idea how much time passed until she actually got up and looked around. Where was Candeloro? The doll should have landed a few meters next to her, but she was nowhere in sight. There was the Grief Seed and... there was another one.

Lilly's eyes slowly went back and forth beneath the two hearts before a sigh escaped her. So it was the fire that finished the job.

 _But... which one is Candel?_

A slender hand slowly reached out for the objects and got a hold of both of them. The first one she picked up had the faint sensation of a sleeping child run through her. This was most likely the Dress-Up Witch. Her suspicion was confirmed when she sensed lingering pride in the other Grief Seed.

 _So one of us still returns to her Grief Seed upon dieing. Candel will restore her body and emerge again if everything works out. Hm... restoring ones body... maybe..._

Maybe if Lilly got herself killed, she would emerge with her real body? Although that was unlikely, the moment of hope had her heart skip a beat again. Then however, her realism kicked in and reminded her that she would not get herself killed for any reason.

Mortal World's Witch sighed and got to her feet before putting the heart of her newest companion into the bag she carried the doll around with before. Then the other Grief Seed went into her pocket and the eldritch being got going. She would not eat this one before she was absolutely sure that Candel was in the other one. The universe screwed her over often enough for her not to take her impressions as proof.

 _Neither Mami nor Homura will be happy about this..._

Even when it meant that they learned something new, especially the blonde seemed to quickly grow fond of the cheerful doll... and who could hold it against her; they were the same person after all.

But how should she tell them?

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Said Magical Girls were on their way back to Mami's flat not much later. Their patrol did not bring any Grief Seeds, although they killed off three Familiars as they went. The blonde would not stop hunting the smaller creatures even when Homura reminded her that Lilly could eat them anyway.

There might still be some work to do with her, the time traveler thought. This girl was steadied to a point where she could survive, though. Lilly did a marvelous job with that, even when the means she used were... unusual.

 _I would never have thought of something like that..._

To be fair though, pulling someone else along through time was impossible to her alone.

When they returned to the flat, the Magical Girls found that Mortal World's Witch was already back. Mami noticed it because of the shoes that stood at the door to the balcony, whereas Homura found out because she heard the shower going.

 _Why is she showering at a time like this?_

As a matter of fact, her Witch preferred to clean herself either in the morning or in the evening, not in the midst of day. What made her change that behaviour for once?

The time traveler guessed that she would find out rather soon, so she sat down at the table and put her Soul Gem on it. Mami took the seat opposite to her and both of them had their eyes cast onto each other while awkward silence engulfed the two. What should she say now?

To be honest, Homura did not want to talk. They spoke quite a bit on their way and at this point, there was nothing even remotely relevant to converse about anymore.

Normally, she would be out and stocking up on weapons as well as ingredients or maybe watching Madoka's house. As it was however, the first one would come in the evening and the last one was unnecessary because Kyubey would not approach her friend for as long as she was with her family.

The light tapping of feet on the ground pulled her back into reality and Homura turned her head slightly, as did Mami. They watched Lilly enter the room in one of the time traveler's spare uniforms and with a towel on her shoulders. She seemed somewhat out of it right now.

The Witch kept quiet and went to sit down between the Magical Girls with a sigh that alerted Homura. This regularly meant that something went wrong.

"What happened?"

Her sister returned the time traveler's gaze nonchalantly while their blond companion looked back and forth between them. Then Lilly put a Grief Seed onto the table that they eyed with curiousity. Why was she showing them that? Moreover, why had the Witch not yet eaten this one?

"Um... excuse me, Yuri-san, but what do you want to tell us with that?"

So the raven-haired girl was not the only one that had trouble piecing this together... on the other hand though... something was wrong with the situation. Homura just noticed; something was amiss.

"We had some trouble with a fellow Witch. I still don't know what to think about it... but you should use this one to cleanse your Soul Gems."

It was pushed over to the time traveler, who took it with a raised eyebrow. Now she knew what was not there that should be: Lilly was around and yet they saw no sign of Candeloro.

"What happened to her?"

She did not even worry that her sister could not follow Homura's train of though. She always could. Mami was not this fast, although she did not get the chance to ask because the eldritch being sighed again. "You're holding her in your hand. Don't ask me any questions, though. I need to experiment some more before I can say anything for certain."

So the Grief Seed she held on to... that meant that the doll died. But why did she die when Lilly was with her?

"W-Wait... what exactly happened, Yuri-san?"  
Now there was also concern mixed into the blonde's confusion, although Homura could understand that. Had she not known her sister's competence in annihilating Witches, the time traveler might have done so as well. As it was however, she was mostly curious about the chain of events that led to this situation. Lilly on her part shrugged and leaned back. "We were in some trouble, so I sent Candel ahead. She's faster than me and strong enough... at least I thought she was. Maybe Quitterie was a bit too strong for a first opponent, though."

As she spoke, the time traveler already proceeded with holding the lifeless metal close to her Soul Gem. Lilly was most likely trying to revive the Dress-Up Witch by feeding her with the taint from the Magical Girls; although it would not work at once, seeing that they should be able to use the Grief Seed twice without it activating again. Nonetheless, it was as good an idea as any... although one had to wonder why her sister was so readily giving up on the meal she would have gotten herself otherwise.

"Um... let me get this straight: you had Candel... fight a Witch? When she is barely a day old?"

Mami seemed upset by the idea. The blonde took the heart of her counterpart when Homura held it out to her and used it, though. The swirling blackness from within the orb became a bit stronger, but not yet strong enough. Lilly tilted her head and eyed their partner curiously. "Yes. She is that strong, seeing whom she originates from."

The eldritch being held out her hand to retrieve the Grief Seed once it absorbed the second portion of taint, but Mami shook her head and pocketed the object herself. "No, I should have tried to keep an eye on what you were doing since the beginning. Candel will stay with me until she is back."

This time, the time traveler was as surprised as Lilly, although more about the fact that the blonde openly confronted her sister than that she seemed to care about her Witch already.

Once those beings were capable to express themselves, it was difficult for the respective girl not to grow fond of them... they were touching their own deepest desires after all.

"Tch. Very well, though I hope that you know what you just got yourself into. She could emerge at any moment, even in the middle of class. No one knows if she will still be sane when she does and on top of that, we have no idea about her mood at that point, either. Have fun... I guess I'm heading out again, then. Since I don't have that responsibility any more, I will get myself something to eat."

Mami had become a bit more thoughtful over the explanation she got, although the last part made her nod reluctantly. "But please do not stay out for too long. I wanted to start with dinner in about an hour or so."

"Sure..."

Mortal World's Witch did not say any more; she went back to the balcony, put on her shoes and jumped off. Homura's gaze followed her until she landed on another building closeby and went out of sight from there. The air around her had been a bit upset though, the time traveler could tell.

"I... made her mad, did I not?"

The reluctant question had her turn her head back to Mami, who was still looking at the door and seemed a bit more uneasy than usually. Homura wondered about that... was her Witch really angry?

"I doubt that. It's more likely that you surprised her... and besides, I guess Lilly wasn't in a good mood to begin with."

Although she was not entirely sure about the reason for that.

Mami nodded slightly and sighed quietly. "There is no helping it. Do you want some tea, Homura-san?"

Yellow eyes met purple lenses and for a moment, the time traveler was tempted to just turn her down... but then again, she could use something to drink and did not want to be rude.

"Sure. Nothing fancy though, green tea would be nice."

Her request prompted the blonde to smile at her and rise to her feet. She bowed slightly and went off, being the proper girl once again.

Once she was alone, Homura had to suppress a sigh. She was not sure whether this was really going in a way she liked. Of course, they had Mami on their side now... but would that be enough?

 _Considering that Lilly will bring in Kyoko in a few days... we should have a lot more time to prepare. But what to do with Miki Sayaka and Madoka..._

It was troublesome. The chances of keeping both of them away from Kyubey until all of this was over were not really good. Fortunately though, she could now hunt the Incubator openly. Mami would not mind her doing that anymore.

Still, she had to be careful...

 **. . .**

The chilly air helped cooling her head. Lilly was not sure why she was angry to begin with, but there was no denying the fact that she was.

It might not even be because of the other Witch in particular, but because of the situation in general. She knew that it was her fault, but still...

The eldritch being stopped dead in her tracks when another thought entered her mind. _Am I angry that I don't get what I want?_

That was a thing children did, not beings like her. She had since grown out of that phase, so what would it mean if this was the case? Was she moving backwards in her development, was there a connection to the amount of energy she had right now?

 _Or maybe..._

Maybe she really was becoming more human.

Her feet started to move again and Mortal World's Witch quickly entered an alleyway where one of her kin was currently waiting for prey. She went into the barrier with but a casual thought and set it on fire with a single, long breath. There was not much more energy left to begin with, so the amount she used did not matter. Give it a few minutes until the owner of this place died to the flames, eat the Grief Seed and she should hopefully not starve on this very day.

Then Lilly sat down with her legs crossed while the fire whirled around her and tuned out the crackling of the dying environment. She had to think. It was the only thing she could do right now because she was still not completely sure whether she actually gave Candel's Grief Seed to the Magical Girls. If the one she had on her was _not_ Quitterie and she ate it... that would bring her in really deep trouble.

 _At least we know that at least one of us returns to her Grief Seed. Candeloro can not be killed permanently... but on the other hand, being killed to begin with is not nice at all._

She never experienced the pain that came with dying, even when Lilly was rather close to the sensation before. The burning pain in her chest and the feeling of her very life slowly dripping out of her body... if this was what accompanied a death, then she was not sure whether she could stay sane after experiencing that more than a few times.

 _I guess I should apologize to Candel when she is back._

And this time it would be an honest apology, not like those empty words she exchanged with most people in the last timeline. Lilly had to admit to that: she was at fault, so she had to accept this; even when she did not like it. At least the Witch was honest to herself about that.

On the other hand though, she should not keep thinking about this particular topic for much longer.

 _What to do... what's the plan..._

Lilly had not given much thought to this up until now. Granted, they were only one and a half days into this loop, but she should decide on what to do this time around. Getting Kyoko into the mix was already planned, but what to do afterwards? Should they try to talk to Madoka or rather keep the Incubator away from her? Which option was more promising?

 _We failed at having that decision the moment we got into contact with her. She will try to learn more the moment Homura approaches... but can we guarantee that she won't get contracted when we leave her in the dark?_

It was unlikely. The Incubator would find a moment and even with help from Mami, they could not keep up constant surveillance. It was just not possible and Homura almost tired herself to death with her attempts of doing that before. Besides, the problem with Walpurgis still remained anyway. How should they defeat the Queen of Witches while keeping the truth from Madoka at the same time?

 _It doesn't work, I guess..._

Not that she liked this realisation, but there was no need to deny it.

For a moment, Lilly's madness-ridden mind came up with a completely different idea: what if they had Madoka contract and leaped back with her? Maybe it was possible to create Kriemhild Gretchen like this... but on the other hand, what did that mean for the pinkette? What did the process itself mean for Homura and Mami?

Would their Soul Gems simply shatter after being completely exhausted? Would another Witch emerge from them?

Lilly cast the idea aside. They knew far too less to try.

Somehow, this scene had something peaceful to her; everything was purple and no sounds were to be heard over the crackling of the fire. Warmth radiated from everywhere and filled her with content. She was actually relaxed. She was safe.

Small lips curled into a smile and Mortal World's Witch closed her eyes for a while. No being could live in this refuge of hers, no being could enter. Her feet still hurt a bit from all that running earlier, she noticed. Nonetheless, the slight stinging was acceptable even now. It reminded her of not losing herself in the temporary comfort.

 _Though... I can enjoy it for a while._

Her stomach demanded food, but the serenity of her surroundings made her able to ignore it for a while. The eldritch being took a few deep breaths and fell into a slight slumber.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Somewhere else entirely, a certain girl woke from a startling dream. No, it had not been a dream. It was a vision.

 _'So, what did you see, Oriko?'_

The newly contracted girl lowered her head and exchanged a glance with the feline creature that sat in front of her. He seemed honestly curious about this... but she could not tell him. She could not tell anyone. Maybe Kirika... but no one else.

Nonetheless, the girl smiled reassuringly. "It seemed quite nice, actually. Though I have to think about one thing or another... could you leave me alone for a while?"

 _'Of course. See you later.'_

And it was gone.

Once Kyubey left the room, Mikuni Oriko got to sit in one of the corners of the empty room she lived in, her legs pulled up to her chin and with heavy thoughts racing through her mind.

 _This can not be... this Witch..._

Her mind never even finished that particular train of thought. Out of nothing, a bullet shattered her white Soul Gem into a thousand pieces.

 **. . .**

This was another part of her routine; to eliminate all the potentially dangerous Magical Girls no matter if they actually contracted or not.

Of course she would not tell Mami about something like that, seeing that the blonde would never approve of it. Lilly seemed to think the same, seeing that she did not mention it, either.

The mental list contained thirteen names and Homura already took care of five of them by now. To see that Mikuni made the contract in this timeline was troublesome. This meant that Chitose Yuma might get involved as well. Not that this particular girl was a threat, but she used to complicate things.

 _Another one done, now for Kure._

Anyway, she was not done yet.


	37. Preparations I

The next morning was a bit different than the one before. For one, they awoke to the beeping of Mami's alarm, which told her to get up and ready for school. Homura still had a week before transfering in, so both her and Lilly would remain at the blonde's flat for now. Nonetheless, they decided to have breakfast with her because they were awake anyway.

"What are your plans for today?", the older Magical Girl wanted to know after taking a sip of her tea. The time traveler tilted her head slightly and replied only after her eldritch sister noted that she would go to establish contact with Kyoko: "I have a few more errands to run, so I will be out the whole day."

Not to mention that she only managed to get ten out of thirteen eliminated the day before. Then there was the military base close to Tokyo which she wanted to pay a visit to. Maybe she would try and take a tank with her this time.

Anyway, Homura figured that the situation could be far worse than it was. They could proceed far earlier than usual.

"I see. Are you really sure I should not try to talk to Kaname-san? Maybe I could..." "No."

Her voice was cold, but it had to be. Homura would not push her friend into this world and she would definitely not allow someone else to do it. Mami lowered her head apologeptically and kept quiet... but looked up again when Lilly spoke: "Actually... that might be a good idea."

Did she hear that right?

 _What... what is going on in your head, Lilly?_

She really wondered about that at times. The human-shaped Witch came up with strange thoughts and ideas rather regularly, as could be seen with their current situation. On the other hand though, it did work rather well so far... except for a certain few details.

"What would you mean with that, Yuri-san?"

The blonde seemed as surprised as Homura was herself. Lilly sighed and leaned back a bit before taking another bite out of her toast. She chewed properly and swallowed it, then responded to the question: "I thought about it. We'd need to keep her under surveillance constantly and that just does not work. If you just tell her to stay away from unusual occurences, she will become curious and investigate. If you don't tell her that, she will fall for Kyubey's schemes even faster. I guess we have no choice in that matter... but if Mami tells her about it _without_ pushing her towards becoming a Magical Girl", where the blonde was given an indicative stare that had her lower her head again, "and emphases on the dangers that come with forming the contract, we might have a good chance. You two are strong, so she will not get under the impression that you're just playing tough."

She had been talking rather calmly, but now Lilly's expression changed into a deep frown and she added something as an afterthought: "Just one thing... if you bring them here, tell me beforehand so that I can be somewhere else. I doubt that I can stand Miki right now... or ever again."

So she was still sore about that... in all honesty, Homura could understand it. Not that the time traveler had a particular dislike for Miki Sayaka besides the fact that she tended to be far more trouble than she was worth... but she could guess how her sister felt at this point after receiving a cutlass through her chest.

"I see... I will try to remember that. Well... do you really hold that deep a grudge against her?"

The question was rather naive, though it might be that the blonde was trying to get Lilly to forgive what had been done to her... but the Witch only raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Since you might not be aware of it, I don't have any pain reduction like you Magical Girls. You can't even imagine how much it hurts to get stabbed like this and I will certainly not be able to forget about it anytime soon. Just keep her away from me for as long as possible and hope for the best."

Then the eldritch being marked the end of this topic by stuffing more toast into her mouth. Homura suppressed a sigh and took another sip of her tea; at the same time, Mami nodded slightly and did sigh. "I guess I can not really relate to that. Very well, I will make sure to keep you informed... although I wonder at which time I should talk to her."

"She will be on the roof at lunchbreak and in the mall after school."

The words already left her mouth before Homura even realised. She went through so many loops filled with observations that she could effortlessly predict Madoka's actions to the most part. Mami cast a surprised stare her way while Lilly smirked and downed her tea; then the Witch pointed at the clock on the wall. "Shouldn't you be going? We can clean that up, seeing that you took the effort of making breakfast."

That had a surprised gaze wander and upon seeing how late it already was herself, Mami quickly rose to her feet with an apologeptic bow. "My, I did not even notice. Thank you for reminding me, Yuri-san. Well... I am off, then."

Both raven-haired girls responded with an almost automatic "Take care" that had become second nature to each of them. Homura was a bit surprised about herself, though; Lilly might have started this more as a joke and now they were both serious about seeing each other off. She was not sure what to make of this, but it did not feel particularly wrong and would definitely not become a problem to their task. So why not keep it?

As the blond Magical Girl left the room with all due haste, the Akemis started to pick up the plates and cups before carrying them to the kitchen. Once they heard the front door close, Lilly sighed. "I'm still not sure about this whole 'living together'-thing... but whatever. I will keep an eye open for Chitose Yuma when I'm going to Kazamino. You go ahead as well, I can do the dishes by myself. Good luck on the hunt."

This was about the most sudden dismissal she ever got from her sister. Was everything alright with her?

 _Or maybe she just thinks that I need as much time as possible..._

Which made sense, considering that Homura had to get a train to Tokyo and back. That would take some time, not to forget the act of actually breaking into the base and getting all the supplies she needed.

Besides that, there were also another three people she had to take care of. It would take some time until either of the bodies was found due to none of the girls having any close family, but she made sure to leave no traces anyway. Those that contracted before being killed by her would not even look as if they had been murdered, seeing that the shards of the shattered Soul Gems would have dissipated by then.

Homura nodded slightly and went to leave as well. Before she walked out of the room though, she cast another curious gaze at Lilly. "Be careful. You're still low on energy, right?"

The eldritch being tilted her head sideways to look her way and smirked. "I got a decent meal yesterday and maybe I can get my hands on another one on my way to Kazamino. I'm no match for Kyoko in a fair fight anyway, no matter how much energy I have... and it doesn't matter in an unfair fight. I can just stop time for a moment and crush her Soul Gem... not that I expect that to happen, but you never know."

That was true. It might be rare, but there were timelines where the redhead would not work with her in any way. The time traveler just hoped that this was not one of them.

"I agree."

 **. . .**

When Homura finally left the room, Mortal World's Witch sighed almost inaudibly and turned on the water to get the dishes done. She just wanted some time to herself, not particularly to think but to just be alone. How ironic that she even had to bring herself to leave her alone. Nonetheless, she did not want either of them to notice just how much of a loss Homulilly was at. Bringing in Kyoko, having Madoka informed, preparing... but not much else came to mind. What could she do to kill time this month? There were only so many Witches and Familiars and she had to be careful not to be seen by Kyubey.

Not that Lilly was concerned about the Incubator, but she preferred its scheming to not include her as a variable. This time however, she really needed to keep herself together when confronted with Miki Sayaka... but she doubted that she could.

 _Whatever... I just do something else whenever she's around. Once Candel is back, we can work on improving her fighting capabilities._

Right, the Dress-Up Witch was there as well. Lilly wondered whether this little doll would be as valuable an asset as she thought she would be. Maybe so, but it was not completely sure. Whatever the case though, it would take at least two or three more days before her fellow Witch returned, seeing that it would take about this amount of time for Homura and Mami to build up enough taint to reactivate the Grief Seed.

Plate after plate was done and Mortal World's Witch decided to stop thinking about that for a while. For now, she should think about how to get Kyoko involved.

 _The same way as last time? Without the bumping into each other, of course..._

It did work rather well, so maybe... she would see what to do once she reached Kazamino and found the redhead. That would be the most difficult problem anyway. Besides, mentioning Mami first would be a really bad move, seeing what kind of history those two had. Lilly had to be careful on that topic and was glad that it was only that one and the veteran's past. Sakura Kyoko was easier to deal with than Tomoe Mami, that did not change. However, getting her to join them might take some time.

 _Now the question is whether I should leave Candel with Homura and Mami... maybe I shouldn't._

It was unlikely that Homura's Soul Gem could differ between one Witch and another, which meant that her capabilities in tracing one of the regular eldritch beings would be severely weakened. Her partner could make up for the difference, but Lilly doubted that they could deal with the doll properly. Not even she could do that yet.

 _On the other hand... she is Mami's counterpart._

In fact, she was willing to give the blonde the benefit of the doubt this time around.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

She was still wondering when classes were about to start. Was it really the right thing to approach them like this? Would it work just like Yuri said?

 _Maybe I should trust her a bit more... she was competent up until now._

Besides the fact that she managed to get Candeloro killed. The thought brought Mami back to the silent Grief Seed in her bag, pushed as deep down as was possible. Before her mind could enter a state of pondering again though, the Magical Girls slightly shook her head and directed her gaze to the front of the room. She was in class right now and could not afford to slack off... although this start of the lesson sounded so familiar...

 _Oh..._

Right, they jumped back in time. She already heard that lesson before. Nonetheless, Mami tried to listen properly and take notes.

Sometimes though, her mind wandered back to her Witch. What would happen when Candel emerged again? Would she still be sane? Would she be angry about what happened?

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Everything went rather well until lunchbreak. At least she thought that it did.

"Tomoe-san?"

The sound of her name being spoken by the girl sitting to her right had Mami turn her head in surprise. They rarely spoke to each other after she turned them down so often the year before... maybe she should not have done that, but friends were a luxury she did not have the time for as a Magical Girl.

Back came a concerned gaze from light green eyes. "Are you alright? I got the feeling that you were completely out of it today."

 _Huh?_

Was this girl really concerned about her? That never happened before...

The surprise had her pause for a moment, though that seemed to send the wrong signal; the other third-year quickly raised her hands defensively. "Ah, sorry. That was too direct, I just thought..."

"It is fine, Tachibana-san", the blonde quickly reassured her classmate with a polite smile. "I am fine, but I really appreciate your concern. There has just been a lot happening over the weekend."

Which was not even a lie. Not that anyone would believe her even if she tried to tell them what kind of events took place.

"Oh... I see. That's reassuring. Um..."

Now she was reluctant all of a sudden, although Mami did not mind being patient. She wondered what else there might be. The other girl kept quiet for a moment before asking a question she had not heard for quite some time: "By any chance... would you mind having lunch with us?"

To be asked that again... it stunned her for a moment and before she could recover from the surprise, Mami's tongue decided in her stead: "Not at all."

 _What? Wait... I..._

"Really?!"

The surprised yet happy tone had her surrender. Her classmates seemed to still care about her despite everything, so it would be wrong to turn them down again. The blonde picked up her own lunch with a slight smile. "Yes, really."

Even though this meant that she had to shift talking to Kaname and Miki into the afternoon.

 _I guess... this is alright..._

They would be fine by themselves for a while... she hoped.

 **. . .**

One would be surprised by just how many eldritch beings were living in this city. Now that she had enough time to actually walk through quite a bit of Kazamino, Lilly was almost sick of them. She wanted to get to work and burn them all to ash... but on the other hand, that would only mean that a worse stench could reign supreme again.

 _I've been here for hours and still no sign of her... where the hell are you?!_

Sakura Kyoko did not leave her hometown. She had to be somewhere around here, but none of the Witches around suddenly disappeared. Did the redhead take a day off or something like that?

Whatever the reason was, Mortal World's Witch slowly became annoyed by it. She jumped down from the lower roof she had been scouting the nearby alleyways from and continued to walk on the ground. Those small usages of magic would not be noticed and even if, she barely cared about that right now. Lilly was not yet angry, but she surely was getting there.

The human-shaped Witch barely rounded one corner when annoyances continued to add up. "Hey Missy, get lost!"

The voice was male, but accompanied by some giggling that was definitely from a girl. Lilly stopped and turned her head to look, only to find one man of maybe twenty years with a noticeably younger girl on each arm... middle-schoolers, to be exact.

 _Compensated Dating so early in the... wait, we already have noon... anyway..._

The stench those three produced was utterly disgusting and that did not help her in keeping her rising anger under control. Nonetheless, will prevailed over emotion and the Witch just snorted before turning around and walking away. A comment from one of the girls had her stop, though: "Oh, don't be like that. Come on over, sweety. I'm sure no one minds if you join us."

To which Lilly finally noticed the stench they were giving off. All three of them were drunk... just what kind of people were they? Two... maybe fifteen-year-olds and one guy barely able to buy alcohol? And they were wasted at noon already?

It was not that she particularly cared what those idiots did with their free time. She was barely even interested... However...

"Unfortunately", her cold voice initiated the statement while the human-shaped Witch turned her head wide enough to glare at the small group, "I prefer company with some class. You're just annoying and besides..."

A gaze went over the guy, took note of height, figure, facial features and so on. She even went so far as to compare to the one person she would be interested in. "I would rather stab my own eyes with needles than being touched by that guy. The same goes for you girls. Don't you realise how disgusting you all are?"

At the surprised faces, Lilly shook her head and continued to walk off. "Probably not. Go and have fun or whatever, but leave me alone."

Actually, she really hoped that either of them tried to attack her. That was the excuse she needed to just blow off some steam... not that she wanted to kill anyone; just break a few bones.

The day had been really annoying so far, so... it would stay that way because no one followed her when she vanished around the next corner, although Lilly could hear one of the girls asking the others about "what's wrong with her?".

 _Wrong with me? What's wrong with you to sell yourself to others?_

She was born with her free will. She was born with purpose. Homulilly valued her freedom of choice, which she had. She was bound to no one and by no one. Although the scent suddenly...

"Nice one."

The familiar voice had her stop abruptly. Lilly turned her head at the teenager that leaned on a wall out of the field of vision of anyone rounding that corner. Was she ambushing people that passed by?

 _At least that would explain why I couldn't find her before..._

"But you've really wasted your air on them, y'know? Chicks like those are everywhere."

So at least she did not try to rob her. If she did, that might have gotten a bit... strange. Lilly eyed the redhead for a moment longer; then she proceeded to lean on the other side of the wall with her arms crossed in front of her chest. There was a pipe running down the bricks right next to her, but that was ignored just as easily as the footsteps of the three fools. Apparently, they decided to walk in another direction than the weird girl. Too bad.

"I know."

Could it be that she brought herself to a good start this time around?

"But those people are pathetic and at times, I just have to say that to their faces. On that note", she added with a glance at the redhead as if just noticing how she was dressed, "what are you doing here? Looks like you're trying to ambush someone."

Now the other girl raised an eyebrow and a dangerous spark could be seen in her eyes. Why would something like that suddenly make her angry?  
"None of your business. Haven't heard what you're doing here so far, either."

 _Oh. Right, I forgot that she doesn't know me for a moment there..._

Lilly just shrugged and had her gaze wander over the concrete. It was rather clean around here, so this was not one of the shabbiest alleyways... one that people might use as a shortcut. The Witch was rather sure that she was correct.

"Whatever, I wouldn't really care either way. Your life is yours and I won't tell you what to do."

That was about the truth. Not that she did not _want_ to tell Kyoko what to do, but that was something the redhead did not need to know. "Besides, there is not much more to do for me. I came out here to have a chat with you, Sakura Kyoko-san."

When she said the Magical Girl's name, her eyes narrowed and the dangerous spark returned as fast as it vanished before. She was surprised, that much was for sure. However, Lilly saw her hand already start to prepare the summoning of her Soul Gem if necessary, so the Witch raised her hands with her fingers spread. "No need to, I'm not one of you and I have not come to pick a fight with you. Although I like this town a little more than Mitakihara, I have to admit."

This one was on purpose. She wanted to see how dropping the name of Mami's territory would influence the conversation... however, it did nothing. At least Kyoko was not as hostile anymore after the short explanation, although she did not seem to be happy at all. The redhead almost snarled at her: "I don't care who you are, what you want or where you're from. Get lost before I change my mind and beat you up."

Really...

 **. . .**

As if she would tell this chick that she was hiding out here for a while. Being strong was one thing, but knowing when to retreat was just as important to a life like she lived it.

Kyoko easily saw that those clothes this girl wore were almost brand new. Her hair was done properly and her skin of a pale white. Those were obvious signs of some stupid rich girl, however she knew her name. Maybe out for a thrill looking for someone from the streets. Well, she would not...

"Are you really, absolutely sure about that?"

...suddenly lean next to her and emit a malevolent aura... wait...

"The hell?!"

The surprise actually had Kyoko take a few steps back and have her Soul Gem appear. She did not transform yet, even when this was unmistakably the aura of a Witch... but still, she never saw one in human form.

The redhead was not stupid. She was impetuous, yes, but not stupid. The facts connected quick enough so that she could prevent a maybe unnecessary fight; this Witch came looking for her and moved way faster than Kyoko could. She must know that the redhead was a veteran, so this was either stupidity or...

The knowing smirk she was given convinced the Magical Girl that it was certainty instead. This Witch knew very well what she was doing, which in turn prompted her not to transform. There had been no attack so far, so maybe her claim was true.

Not that the word of an eldritch being could be trusted.

"Surprised?"

What was that for a question? Of course she was! In about two years of fighting those beasts, she never even once found one that could be mistaken for a human being. Kyoko always thought that she saw it all, from malformed jellyfishes over trees towards giant heaps of metal things. This was new, though. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she continued to measure that person in front of her. What were her abilities and...

"There she is!"

 _Crap._

Of course that had to happen. The shock brought her to stand right in the middle of the alleyway, so she could be seen from the adjacent street.

The redhead's first impulse was to retreat when she saw a dozen people enter this place, but the Witch slowly shook her head and continued to lean at the wall.

Not that she minded or was not capable of beating up so many people, but that would raise suspicion. She had to be careful not to be noticed. Now they were about surrounded and half of those guys were holding baseball bats. Another two had metal bars in their hands and the one in the back that looked like their leader held a small knife in his hand; he was also the one the chick she gave a beating before clung to, holding onto the arm not holding the weapon. Kyoko rolled her eyes and mentally prepared for what was to come.

"Now what do we have here. Is that her, dear?"

That was the leader-guy speaking to his girl. He might be sixteen or seventeen and she was about a year younger. Most of his gang were of about the same age, so they were all high-schoolers. The chick nodded quickly and hid her bruised face; he just gave Kyoko an angry smirk. "So you did that to my girlfriend. Guess you didn't know what would happen to a rat like yourself."

Then he seemed to notice the Witch at the wall that calmly observed the situation for the first time... and quickly went to snap at her while Kyoko simply had an eyebrow raised. Those guys were all smirking as if she was just some little flower they could smash under their boots.

"Oh, is that your friend? Well, too bad for her. You won't get away with just a beating, you know?"

Now however, her eldritch acquaintance started to smirk as well, she even went to giggle for a moment. Not a nice sound to hear, more like something one would expect from some mad Yandere-girl... okay, she was a Witch, but still...

"How funny, I just thought the same thing."

She pushed herself off of the wall and loosened her arms before exchanging a glance with Kyoko, who was now curious what she meant. "What do you think, twelve against the two of us. Not really fair, now is it?"

The first one started to get uncomfortable, be it about the dark tone this girl had or because neither of them seemed to be the least bit afraid. One of the guys with the metal bars just raised his weapon. "Guess I'll show you what you get for bitching like that."

Than the metal bar went downwards with force... but the girl was no longer there. Instead, it hit the head of one of the bat-boys that suddenly took her place; he went to the ground with a wet sound while blood started running down his head. Kyoko raised an eyebrow over the sight that had the guy's friends recoil in utter terror. Did that other one really hit so hard?

A malicious chuckle from outside the ring of delinquents had them turn around after staring at the corpse in shock. Kyoko did so, too; but that was mostly out of surprise. Just what kind of magic was that?

"Now now, I know humans are despicable creatures that constantly kill each other... but was that really necessary?"

The guy with the bloody piece of metal in his hands was cowering in front of his friend and stammered something about this not being what he wanted to do. He was a mess and honestly, Kyoko did not care. She smirked at the Witch. "Don't know how you did that, but nice one. Let's mop up the rest."

Surprisingly, she was given a widening smirk and the eldritch being shook her head. "That's not necessary. It would be a real waste, you know?"

Then her eyes wandered over to the scared teenagers. "Get lost."

And they ran as if the Grim Reaper was personally chasing them. Considering what the Witch just did, Kyoko could at least understand that. The one guy that killed his friend was still there, not doing anything but whispering to himself. The redhead rolled her eyes and exchanged a glance with the other magical entity, who pointed upwards and jumped right after doing so. She understood what was meant and followed her onto the roof.

Once there, they walked a bit while her companion began to snicker. "Now that was a good way to blow off some steam. Thanks for holding still this entire time."

So she noticed that Kyoko tensed up at some point? Or was that just generally spoken?

Whatever the actual reason was, she did not really mind. The redhead raised her fist in an appreciative manner. "I still don't know what you want, but that was legendary."

The Witch bumped her own hand against it after a moment and she could feel the actual power coursing through this slender body when their skin connected. So she did not even use much of her magic before.

"You're right. But as I said, I mean no harm. Care to listen to what I have to say?"

In all honesty, this girl did not just solve her problem with those delinquents, she also solved it in a way that would make no one believe the truth. Attention was so expertly taken from them that listening to her was actually a really easy thing to do in return. Besides, if there was one thing Sakura Kyoko had a lot of, it was time to spare.

"Sure thing."


	38. Preparations II

Now that she thought about it, it should have been obvious where Kyoko lived. A mediocre hotel whose personnel did not seem to care much for who stayed there.

They sat together in a small room filled with wrapper of all kinds, the most prominent belonging to fast food and sweets; the redhead just swept a few of them aside to make some space for Lilly and took a seat on the bed herself. Not that she minded sitting on the ground, she just disliked the fact that the Magical Girl was placed higher than her. Whatever.

 _It did work better than expected so far, so I won't complain._

The last attempt she made started out worse and everything was fine in the end.

"Here we are. What d'you want?"

Straight to the point, which was really refreshing when she had to deal with Mami for more than a small amount of time. The human-shaped Witch folded her hands and eyed Kyoko with a smirk. "I came to make you an offer. Nothing like this vague contract Kyubey forms, just a little something both of us benefit from."

She stopped to wait for a possible retort, though the only thing she got was a small nod. "Okay. What exactly do you think I'd need from you then? I'm perfectly fine by myself."

Of course she was and Lilly confirmed what was said with a dismissive gesture. "I know. But you should start to think about what happens when you cultivate Familiars like that. Stop. I know exactly what you want to say right now and this is not what I mean."

The first part already had an angry frown appear on the redhead's face, but she kept quiet after Lilly was finished. She thought that the Witch wanted to chide her for the practice in general, but that was not her intention. In fact, she came to notice this particular fact because of a remark the last Kyoko she met made: that her appearing was a good thing because the swarm of growing Familiars slowly outgrew her ability to kill Witches.

She smirked.

"I just got the feeling that there are far too many Familiars in Kazamino. At least four dozen around the center of town and I did not even count properly. Can you take care of them all when they grow into Witches?"

To be fair, the numbers were a bit exaggerated... but the redhead did not need to know that. Knowing that such a large swarm of beings was there and continuously worked towards growing up was enough to give her pause. Lilly's smirk widened and she continued while observing how the gears turned in the Magical Girl's head. "I'm sure you can do the math. Besides the dozen already grown Witches that throw out another Familiar once in a while, the... lifestock you have there will continue to spread and grow in number until you either regulate how many Familiars are actually cultivated or are overrun by them. I'm fairly sure about your outstanding abilities, but I doubt that even you can kill Witches day in and day out."

The only one that could take care of so many was her, she was sure of that. There was no other being anywhere that was capable of giving birth to fire that fed off of magic alone. If it would just be easier to use against Magical Girls, she would not have been in so much trouble before... but the only thing it could be used as in that regard was to distract and push them back for a moment.

"I think I get where you're going, but I really don't mind. Not that they'd attack me by themselves. Why do you even care?"

The question came with a raised eyebrow while Kyoko started to chew on a popsicle and waited for her response. Lilly raised an eyebrow in return and finished the explanation, all the while making the redhead pause again: "Because others will mind as well. The town closest to Kazamino is Mitakihara... and guess who would come if word got out that you have more Witches here than you can handle? Of course, Tomoe Mami is not the only one... just the most pleasant one. Others would appear to get some Grief Seeds for themselves as well. I doubt that you want that."

Mentioning the blonde was a risk, seeing that she knew about the story that connected them. Nonetheless, Lilly did it because she mentioned coming from Mitakihara before and would have her know that she was acquainted with the other veteran in due time anyway.

Kyoko on her part nodded slightly and took another bite out of her impromptu meal before sighing. "Guess you're right. Okay, you convinced me that I need to do something. But that's not what you came here for, right?"

Ah, so she caught on to that. Lilly's smirk vanished and became a small smile. The human-shaped Witch was content with what she achieved so far. The rest would be easier.

"You're very observant. I took the journey over here because disposing of my own kin is something I excel in. I can have all of Kazamino cleaned within a week, including taking care of two thirds of the Familiars, preferably those that have not yet started eating humans."

Not that she actually planned on doing that last part. It would be an unbelievable hassle to check every last of those small fries for whether they were already fed. It sounded better to the Magical Girl, though. The very same person that was eyeing her with a raised eyebrow and had her arms crossed. The half-eaten snack in her hand was forgotten for now.

"You say you can find and kill more than a dozen Witches in a week plus so many Familiars? Are you serious?"

It did not really seem as if the redhead was making fun of her, more like an honest question. Lilly nodded slightly and smirked again. "I'm aware of your mentality regarding the natural position of Magical Girls, but you should not include me in it. I'm different... and besides, I wonder why you did not yet ask for what I would want in return. We both know that neither of us is a charity."

"Oh? Now we're talking."

Kyoko returned a smirk of her own that revealed the pointed canine before motioning for her to continue. "What do you want then?"

So here they were again. She very well remembered the deal she cut with this girl the last time around, but that had been from a completely different position. Back then, Homulilly had been rather desperate to find a place where she could test, get used to and strengthen her abilities. A place where she could hide from Tomoe Mami, for if she was found out, the blonde would come for her head at once.

Now however, Mami was her ally; as was the Dress-Up Witch Candeloro, who might have inherited the skilled veteran's fighting capabilities. There was no real need to hide away and training would be provided anyway. Nonetheless, she would offer the very same conditions she gave the redhead before. Not because she was happy with all the Grief Seeds going to her, but because she would get them all anyway. Kyoko had no idea just how much Lilly was actually gaining from this.

"You will get all the Grief Seeds I can obtain by killing other Witches. In return however, you hand over each and every one you used up to cleanse your Soul Gem to me starting today."

She would get to her meals in one way or another.

The redhead opposite to her frowned and finally finished her popsicle before pointing the stalk at her. "Not that I mind, but what d'you want with them?"

At least Kyoko was not some kind of fool that just accepted without thinking about the other side of the agreement. If Lilly did plan on betraying the redhead somewhere down the line, it would be really stupid not to know that every Grief Seed she handed over was a meal for her, thus more energy to possibly use against the redhead. Not that she planned on fighting her, but one could never know.

Mortal World's Witch raised an eyebrow and regarded her dry throat as well as her empty stomach. She did not drink anything for the last few hours and had been talking quite a bit now... and she was hungry, but that could be disregarded because it was almost always the case.

"You're not the only one that's hungry. In difference to you though, I'm picky and don't eat humans... or Magical Girls, for that matter."

She did remember the taste of Miki Sayaka's Soul Gem and while it was not as disgusting as that of regular human beings... this was mostly because the magic imbedded into the girl's psyche concealed the terrible taste. She did not want to do it again, except if it was absolutely necessary.

As she noted that, Kyoko first raised an eyebrow and then smirked again. She threw the stalk into the pile of rubble somewhere else in the room and got to her feet. No signs of pulling out her Soul Gem, though. Lilly stood as well and the two looked each other in the eyes for a few quiet seconds. There was no need to say anything. The Witch knew that she got what she wanted.

"You're a strange one, really. But whatever, I'm in."

They shook hands and the redhead smirked again. "By the way, how do you manage suppressing your aura like that? Never met a Witch that could."

Of course she did not. Not only because this ability was most likely unique to her, but also because she would not know that a Witch was nearby when she could not feel it. Lilly raised an eyebrow while her smirk widened. "And how would you know if there was one? Anyway, I should be the only one with that kind of ability and that's all I will tell you about it."

Not that the redhead needed to know anything about her vulnerability while hiding away. She did not seem to care all that much, either; a light shrug was about everything her reaction consisted of. "Whatever."

Their hands separated and Lilly turned her head to take a look at the clock... before sighing. "Okay, I guess I have to leave now... or certain people will get worried again."

It was way later than she actually suspected it to be when she started with her search. Kyoko raised an eyebrow about the remark. "Didn't you say you're from Mitakihara?"

Mortal World's Witch nodded and turned around. "I am. Though I have no reason to fear Tomoe Mami."

And here she was again, confusing even her allies... though it was a bit early to call Kyoko that. Should she think about the reason Lilly was not afraid for a while; the eldritch being halted the flow of time with a quick thought and left the room. There was nothing more to be said.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Even though she returned a bit later than usual, an empty home greeted her. Mami sighed once she understood that and put down her bag before taking off her shoes.

Her classmates invited her to hang out for a bit and this time around, she reluctantly accepted the invitation. The blonde did not plan on spending too much time asides from patrolling and the like, but with a Witch like Yuri wandering Mitakihara, there was no dire need to watch over the city as she did before.

 _A little socialising... would be fine, right?_

Additionally, she very well remembered the other beings' words about hypocrisy; now that Mami realised that it was actually her own fault, she decided to try and change things.

Nonetheless, at least the Witch should be back by now.

 _Hm... Maybe she is running late as well. In that case... I should start making dinner._

It might still be a bit early, but Mami decided that it was alright.

Before the blonde went to the kitchen however, she lifted her bag back up and rummaged through it for a moment. The Grief Seed she was watching over wandered back into the pocket of her skirt. Then she went to start cooking.

 **. . .**

 _'How is it on your end, Onee-chan?'_

Lilly waited a full fifteen seconds before actually saying anything. Homura did notice her before, though; the feeling of success and content as well as the lingering hunger were obviously not hers after all.

 _"I reached Tokyo a few minutes ago. Travelling to the military base will take me another twenty minutes or so... the rest should go more quickly."_

Because time would not flow for most of that episode, she was confident to be done within five minutes. Lilly sent her a chuckle in response. _'Figures, though I wonder why you want to rob Tokyo all of a sudden; you never went that far before.'_

This was true, but their latest failure told her that she needed more powerful weaponry. Her discontent apparently swept over with her mental voice: _"They have no tanks in the base closest to Mitakihara."_

This shut her Witch up for a while. In the meantime, Homura left the train station and went to take a nearby bus. She informed herself beforehand about the options she had once she left the train and besides, the faint memories of living around here before the beginning of her journey were still there. The time traveler still had at least some kind of overview.

 _'You... want to get your hands on a tank?'_

 _"Yes."_

Silence again and the moment she sat down in one of the seats, a mental sigh came over the bond before Lilly noted something else: _'So you're fed up with losing.'_

Homura was tempted to sigh, but someone would have noticed her doing that. Purple eyes were lying on the window and kept the surroundings under surveillance. Why could she not just be honest?

 _"Yes. And so are you."_

Now it was the Witch that refrained from answering for a while. Her gaze crossed that of a little boy who sat opposite to her, though she quickly looked away. Those eyes of hers tended to scare children, she already knew that.

 _'Good point. Good luck.'_

 **. . .**

She closed the bond in this moment and eyed the balcony to Mami's flat. There was nothing there, but a neighbour stood on an adjacent balcony. Either she had to wait until the older woman was gone, or she had to stop time until she was inside. Either way, this would cost her more energy than she was willing to spend.

Lilly leaned back and watched out not to fall over, seeing that there was nothing to lean against. She sat on one of the closer roofs and waited. With company, that was. White and red and despicable company.

 _'How strange.'_

This was the Incubator's fifth or sixth attempt to make her recognize its presence, yet Lilly would not respond to it. She knew that it was futile to hide her magical nature forever, especially with the fact that she had to enter and leave her current 'home' this way all the time lest some human would become suspicious. Nonetheless, she could at least confuse the rat as much as possible. At least Kyubey did not try to bother her personally or touch her... that would have blown her cover at once.

 _'Huh... I wonder... who might you be?'_

It was really tempting to just boast with everything she had, but that would not bring her anything right now. A sigh escaped her, though the human-shaped Witch managed to cover it up by eyeing this annoying neighbour and mumbling to herself: "When will this pest finally leave..."

Which could also mean Kyubey, she realised. But even then, she did neither mind nor care.

Seeing that she continued to ignore it, the Incubator swished its tail a few more times and kept quiet for a while.

 **. . .**

Attempts at communication were continuing to fail. It started to wonder if this unknown being could really not perceive it.

So far, it was not even clear whether it was dealing with a human or something entirely different. The person known as Akemi Yuri did not exist in any database in this country... or any other around the globe. This name was definitely a cover, but for what?

There were one or two races out there that might be willing and capable to interfere, but their approach would have been noticed. As far as the Incubator was concerned, there were only it and the humans involved in this situation. Which indicated that the being it observed closely was a Witch, just like the other irregular that formed two days ago. Her similarity to Magical Girl Akemi Homura supported this theory, though she could also just have wished for a twin. The possibility did exist... although it was far less likely than the other one, seeing that even a human created through a wish was not capable to use magic. This specimen, however, could.

It had to observe for a bit longer before coming to a conclusion.

 **. . .**

There, finally!

When the woman left her balcony at last, Lilly sighed in relief and made her jump. Thankfully though, those kind of things did not need her releasing magic into the system.

 _At least one good thing..._

If she had to swallow so much energy back down after every leaving of and returning to the flat, she would have thrown caution to the wind. Thankfully, that was not necessary after all.

She opened the door with a sigh and entered to the smell of food coming from the kitchen, which in turn prompted her stomach to loudly demand attention again. Lilly sighed and proceeded to sit down at the table once she put away her shoes and closed the door. At least Mami was in for a surprise... she hoped.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

It was a bit strange that Yuri did not return yet. Dinner was almost done and there was still no trace of the human-shaped Witch. Neither could she feel her presence, nor did she announce her return as she tended to do the days prior.

Slowly, Mami started to worry. What if her meeting with Kyoko did not go as she expected?

The blonde reluctantly started to prepare the plates, though it would be only two sets for today. Homura already told them that she would be really late, so there was no need to put up a third.

 _So it is only me today?_

While she still hoped that Yuri would make it in time, this was not really probable anymore. It made her heart fall.

When the Magical Girl left the kitchen and entered the living room however, there was something unsuspected waiting for her; the eldritch being she had been thinking about before just sat there at the table, her back straight and her face expressionless. Purple eyes were cast into nothingness and there was no sign of the other girl even noticing her.

 _Huh?_

Why did she not call out to her upon returning? And on top of that... why was Yuri just sitting there?

 _Maybe... maybe it did not go as expected._

Not that Mami knew much, but she had a good idea of the kind of person Kyoko was right now. If there was a fight, Yuri might have been in trouble.

"...Yuri-san?"

No reaction to her reluctant question. The Magical Girl sighed inwardly and went to put down the dishes before taking a closer look at whatever the problem was... only for Yuri's head to turn her way the moment she let go of the porcelain. "I'm here."

Suddenly hearing her voice like that startled Mami a bit and she was glad that the plates were already on the table. She might have dropped them if they had not been. The blonde quickly recovered and frowned at her roommate. Something like this was not nice.

"I would prefer if you did not do that again, Yuri-san."

But the only response she got was a raised eyebrow and a sigh. The human-shaped Witch flopped onto her back and looked at the ceiling. "No one can take a joke... anyway, I will hunt Kazamino clean, so don't expect me to be around all that much."

She was not sure what she expected, but this statement had her heart throb for a moment. Mami was glad that Yuri did not look her way right now, seeing that her expression fell ever so slightly and she knew that the eldritch being would notice. She actually hoped to spend some time with her, now that they were living together.

"I see. So... how did it go?"

Nonetheless, she was curious about this. Yuri's words indicated that Kyoko complied, but this did not explain that the Witch ran a few hours late. "I expected you back much sooner."

Mami was given a smirk and the other being sat up again. "It's not that easy to find a single magical signature among so many Witches and Familiars, especially one as nondescript as that of a Magical Girl. It took me a few hours to find her."

That explained it, though. Kazamino was not that small and Kyoko might not be this easy to be found to begin with. Mami eyed the girl sitting opposite to her for a moment before nodding slightly. "I guess I can not really understand this, seeing that I have it a bit easier to distinguish between Magical Girls and Witches."

Yuri let out a derogatory snort before she was even finished and once Mami was done, the Witch crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You can't even tell the difference between one Witch and another. You're unable to distinguish their names by scent or at all and you can't differentiate the feeling surging through a magical being you sense. So please, have it easier to distinguish. I prefer my own abilities in that regard."

The sudden stream of words surprised her a bit, though it did not show on the blonde's face. Then she noticed something regarding the wording.

 _Is Yuri-san... pouting?_

It seemed that way, which was a bit strange. She never noticed that this being even could pout... or would, for that matter. She just always assumed that a Witch would not do that. On the other hand though, Candel already did it before, so... maybe she just did not notice?

However, now she was curious if every Witch had that far developed senses.

"If I may ask, Yuri-san... can every Witch sense that much?"

In fact, she should be looking after the food again... but the stove was already put on low temperatures to just keep it warm, so she could leave it be for a bit. Now this was more interesting and besides, she rarely caught the eldritch being in front of her in a mood where she would talk about herself. An opportunity like this had to be seized.

"Hm... I'm not sure."

A purple gaze was directed at the window and the Witch looked outside. "I only ever... spoke with two of my kin, so I can't tell for sure. But how else should they be able to distinguish mentally healthy people from the suicidal ones? Besides, I spoke about that with Candel and she told me that she can sense it as well, albeit not as good as I. That might come with age."

So it was something all Witches shared... though she wondered who the other eldritch being Yuri talked to was. They seem... not very talkative at the best of times. Also, Mami was curious what this last part meant. Pondering for a moment had her decide to ask about the latter, seeing that it was apparently the less personal question; the chance of receiving an answer was higher.

"So... what exactly would a Witch consider high age?"

She already guessed that it was no amount of time measured in years. After all, Mami herself was a veteran Magical Girl and barely got past her second full year; most girls did not even make three months, she was aware of that. But how did a Witch think about this... especially after what Homura told her on that note before. Was Yuri really thinking her short span of less than two months to be a long life?

The eldritch being on her part raised an eyebrow and averted her gaze completely, so that her face was hidden behind a curtain of raven hair.

"I'm still a relatively young Witch. Not a newborn like Candel, but also not among the elders. Normally, we have our full power and capabilities ready the moment we come into existence... but it is different with the two of us. Some abilities of ours are just not available, such as creating a barrier or minions. We have to train and experiment with what we have in order to grow stronger and... I think that's enough for now."

Stopping like this probably meant that she should not try to drill any deeper. Mami suppressed a sigh and put on a smile. "Thank you for telling me, Yuri-san. I think I understand you a bit better now. I will go and get our dinner."

 **. . .**

While the blonde went off, Lilly recalled her last words. Understanding her?

 _You're mistaken. The only person that understands me is Homura because we are the same. The only person that completely understands Candeloro is you. And the other way around._

Of course Mortal World's Witch had a good idea of Mami's mental landscape as well, but some parts of it were still beyond her knowledge.

 _This is bad. I have to prevent her from clinging to me._

If it continued like that, the Magical Girl might grow too attached to her and become more of a hindrance in the long run. This would be difficult.

She eyed her surroundings for a moment while the clattering from the kitchen slowly wandered back to the living room. The urge to thrash out and destroy everything in her immediate surroundings was still there. It never really left, though it was more like static in the background.

This town was but a stage for the events that were to come.

 _A stage... wait._

Why did those words seem so familiar? There was something with a stage, but she could not recall it properly.

"Here we go", the cheerful voice of Mami cut into her concentration. Whatever it was she almost remembered, it was gone now. Lilly flinched and sighed before taking a look at what the blonde actually cooked. The sight appeased her at least partly.

 **. . .**

At the same time, a certain raven-haired Magical Girl had her eyes directed out of the window. Her raid was successfull and her train on its way to Mitakihara. The only little inconvenience had been one of the local Magical Girls that wanted to 'teach her a lesson for intruding on other people's turf'... not that Homura really bothered with her. She just walked away and ignored whatever insults were thrown after her. A nearby Witch gained the other one's attention and so the time traveller got away without the slightest use of magic.

 _The month has only just begun. There is still a lot to do._

She had to start observing Madoka very soon. Tomoe Mami was not reliable after all and even Lilly remarked that they should be careful before. Nonetheless, the premise for this loop was a lot better than before... on the other hand though, the blonde might become unstable again once the shock started to subside; once she realised what it meant to leap back in time.

It had been hard on her not to lament the loss of the last timeline. Lilly went to great lengths to give her something nice... Madoka even liked her back... and now it was all for naught.

Irritatingly enough, she noticed a lone tear rolling down her cheek when her gaze fell onto the reflection in the window. A lithe hand quickly rose to swipe it away. No, this only meant that she failed in keeping her distance... again. Her Witch should have learned the lesson as well and refrain from such behaviour in the future.

Homura did not really feel anything anymore when she looked out into the night. Her determination was burning like a small sun deep within her.

She would not succumb. She would not fall.

She would succeed.


	39. Preparations III

Kyoko really wondered what she had gotten herself into.

Not that it was a bad idea to have cut that deal, she really had some trouble with the large amount of Witches recently... but after the first day, her confidence in being able to take care of this human-shaped one in case she was betrayed took a major blow.

Which was mostly because of five Grief Seeds sitting on the table right in front of her, organised in a neat row. The one that put them there sat opposite to the redhead and wore a smug smile that, in all honesty, she had every right to wear at this point. Even a seasoned veteran like Kyoko needed two to three days to kill that many... and even that required to spend a good part of the day searching for the creatures. Maybe that was how Yuri managed to go so fast. Actually, she only learned the girl's name this morning when she reappeared by her side out of nowhere.

"Okay... you're sure you don't want any of those?"

Truth be told, now it was her who started to feel slightly bad; not much, but still. If it had been one or two per day, that would have been one thing... but five Grief Seeds the first day in without getting anything in return? That did not sit well with her. It was a generosity she did neither want nor like; as it went, she would most likely go and accept a lot of things if this Witch asked her for help, just to return the favour.

Yuri's smirk widened a bit and she folded her hands before placing her chin on them, the playful, purple gaze never leaving Kyoko; it was not yet something akin to how Kyubey could stare, but still not pleasant, either.

"As I said, just give me the Grief Seeds you're done with and everything is fine."

Right, she did say that she needed food... but why was she eating her own kind of all things?

Whatever the reason, the redhead pulled one of the eldritch orbs out of her pocket and had it roll over the table; it came to a stop almost right in front of the Witch. "Sure thing. If that's really everything you want, I won't complain."

There were limits to how much she worried about others. In Sakura Kyoko's opinion, she was receiving a lot more than the other side; but hey, that was not her problem. Now it became interesting, though: how would Yuri eat this thing? It consisted of solid metal after all.

However, slightly curious red turned into disbelieving red very soon; her... 'guest' simply ripped the metal casing apart and munched on it like she munched on a cookie. The crunching noises of metal breaking under teeth were the only sounds in the room for a while and when all of the outer material was gone, only the black core remained. Yuri put that in her mouth with visible delight and started chewing; at the same time, the redhead's Soul Gem started to glow a bit and she sensed magic coming from the Witch for a moment, although it vanished soon afterwards. This process repeated itself when the core was swallowed and... the Witch squealed happily, putting her hands on her cheeks and looking as if she just had the best meal in her entire life.

Kyoko sighed inwardly. Now she understood why she was given all of those Grief Seeds even less. Maybe Yuri only said that and kept a few to herself... but this would make the total amount she achieved in a single day even more ridiculous.

In the same instance she started and discarded that train of thought, another one presented itself: was it really a good idea to give this insanely powerful Witch food?

 _Can't be helped, I guess... just... what's she planning?_

She would rather not give up on such a good source of Grief Seeds and besides, Yuri did not yet do anything to make her suspicious. They were like business partners right now and from what she saw, this strange Witch was a proud one. It was unlikely that she broke her word and even if she did, Kyoko wondered if she would really pick a fight when there was no need to. Nonetheless... she was curious now.

"Okay, that's it. What exactly are you planning to do?"

"Hm?"

The rosy colour of her cheeks slowly returned to the usual pale tone and her hands were lowered until they lay flat on the table. Raven hair framed this almost cute face, had it not held this cold expression and a frown on top of it. Now this kind of reaction was a bit extreme. Did she expect Kyoko not to ask at all? Well, bad for her then.

"I didn't think you would care enough to ask."

She kept quiet after that and seemed to think while the redhead silently agreed with her. She just suspected that whatever this Witch was trying to do might get her in trouble and if it could, she wanted to know.

A few seconds of quiet staring passed before Yuri sighed and nodded. "Currently, we are preparing to face Walpurgis. She will descend on Mitakihara at the last day of April."

Hearing that made Kyoko understand. Not just any Witch, but the one that was never defeated before. It would make an appearance in the next town over in little more than a month and this lesser Witch was trying to fight her? The redhead was not sure whether it would not be easier to just go somewhere else.

"Holy... Walpurgis..."

Now it made a lot more sense this girl made a bargain like that. She needed the Grief Seeds for food if she did not eat humans, so any source would be used. In fact, the Magical Girl wondered why she was not just taken care of, so that the Witch did not have to share. That would have been her course of action... probably.

Kyoko's expression had fallen quite a bit by now and she kept looking at the table instead of the person in front of her. This was something to think about... though maybe not now. She looked up again. "So you're up against her... d'you really think you can win?"

Going by how Yuri's eyes darkened quite a bit, that was a landmine she just hit. Still, the redhead was curious.

"It's not a question of thinking. We will do it no matter what."

There was no emotion in her voice, but determination... and also, Kyoko got the feeling that there was also a slight edge; inviting her to say how ridiculuous the idea was and see whether she could get away with it... however, the Magical Girl just sighed and nodded. "Figured something like that. Anyway, good luck with that."

This girl was someone she could at least respect. Not the arrogant alpha bitch she expected when she first saw her, but a dedicated and powerful fighter. The redhead returned to her smirk and so did the Witch. There was no need to talk any further.

 **. . .**

When Mami cast a glance at the three girls she had been following, she wondered if this was really a good idea. Yes, she was the one to suggest it, but nonetheless...

 _Telling her will at least make it more difficult for Kyubey to get her completely oblivious..._

The blonde did not really understand just when she started to think of the little feline as an enemy, but now she definitely did. He tried to make them all into Witches just for his own goals... and they could not even tell if he was honest about that.

However, Mami had to be careful; for one, they agreed on not involving Shizuki if it could be prevented. The green-haired girl seemed like someone who would not want to get involved in all of this to begin with. Miki and Kaname did not have this chance... or would want to enter this world.

The only thing the Magical Girl was not really happy about was that she had to turn her classmates down today when they asked her to hang out again. She would have loved to, but this took priority right now.

Still, the blonde was nervous and her right hand was in her pocket, clutching around Candeloro's Grief Seed. Yuri told her time and time again that she must not let on about how much she actually knew, or else they would tip off Kyubey _and_ gain Miki's distrust. However, neither of the two was any good for them, especially right now.

 _Focus, Mami... just do what they told you to. Just walk up to them, tell them not to do anything rash and..._

She doubted that those two would just accept something like that, though... at least Miki would drill deeper.

She sighed inaudibly and took note of the fact that the pinkette and blunette were waving their friend goodbye and talked for a moment before walking off. Now was her chance.

So the Magical Girl paid for her tea and got going as well. The waitress saw her off with a bow and then she was out in the mall again. Mami was still nervous, but showing that was not an option. She had to be the confident being she always was around others.

Her steps were light and the ringlets bounced up and down every so slightly with each one. Some people cast a glance at her unusual hairstyle, but she was used to that for a long time now; there was no need to mind someone watching.

When she reached the corner the two younger girls vanished around not long ago, the Magical Girl could feel Kaname's aura again. It was really easy to find her when she was equivalent to a beacon. Unfortunately, that also meant that no Witch had a problem catching her...

Mami quickly shook her head to clear the thoughts away before continuing on her way; not much later, the second-years came back into view. They stood in front of one of the stores and were apparently looking at the goods on display while chatting away; the sight had a pang of envy pierce her heart. This was something the blonde longed for ever since the day she became a Magical Girl.

 _Don't be like that, Mami. Yuri-san is there and so is Homura-san. And Candel as well..._

She was not alone, so there was no need to be envious. She reassured herself like that before putting on a polite smile and walking forward. Kyubey sat not too far away, although neither of the girls would notice him before he approached. He seemed keen on just observing, especially in a place as crowded as this one.

Somewhere on her way, the blonde got the feeling that something was not right; unfortunately, she had absolutely no idea what it meant. Just this slight sensation in the back of her mind that had a chill run down her spine. The Magical Girl did not show that, though. She just went on and scanned her surroundings with magic... but there was nothing, so there was no Witch, which was at least a relief.

"Excuse me?"

Her words were as measured as always, jumping right into a short pause Kaname made in whatever she had been talking about. Both girls turned around when she spoke up and seemed surprised for a moment. Mami bowed in greeting. "Would you have a moment? There is something I would like to tell you two."

They already figured that it was impossible to draw in one without involving the other as well. In the end, Kyubey would be the one to do that if they did not, so they did not really have a choice in the matter. This would be difficult especially for Miki.

Both of them were apparently confused, though they exchanged a glance and Kaname nodded slightly. "Um... I think so. We have nothing urgent to do, so yes. Can we help you?"

She tried her best to be polite... and the realisation that this person the blonde remembered very well had no idea who she was hit her harder than she thought it would.

 _Kaname-san... and Miki-san too... neither of them has any idea. So that means that Kyoko does not, either..._

Which meant that all the progress she made with the girl from Kazamino had been for nothing. She had to start all over.

Suddenly, her understanding for Homura's cause became a bit better and the respect she held for the raven-haired girl grew once again.

Mami managed to keep her polite smile in place and the thoughts inside her head while she nodded at the pinkette. "Actually, would either of you mind if we went somewhere less crowded? This is not something that should be spoken about in public."

"Huh..."

Kaname appeared to be taken back by that while Miki's eyes became the slightest bit wary... which she could not hold against her. Mami would not trust a complete stranger like that, either. No matter how they looked like. And on top of that, the blonde still had this feeling of something being off.

"That's okay... I think."

That had been the blunette after a few seconds of measuring silence. The Magical Girl suppressed a sigh of relief and continued to smile. "Thank you. This way, please."

She would not go somewhere completely devoid of people, just a place where they could be out of hearing distance. The mall was a bad place for that altogether... but waiting for them on their way home was no good. So the blonde went forward with the younger girls following suit. She led them to one of the more quiet corners where there were no stores. Not too far away from the crowd, though. Being careful about not waking their distrust was something Yuri practically drilled into her beforehand.

When Mami found that they went far enough, she stopped and turned around with her smile still in place. "You see, this is a delicate matter. I..."

Then she realised what this feeling was. Why did she not notice it sooner?

The abrupt silence seemed to confuse Kaname while Miki tilted her head. "You...?"

it was enough to bring her back and she quickly sent them an apologeptic smile. "Ah, please forgive me. I spaced out for a moment."

In fact, she just felt something akin to a poke in her mind. It originated... from her pocket.

 _Of all the times you can start waking up, Candel..._

If her Witch reformed here and now... that would be bad. She had to hurry up. Therefore, Mami urged herself to start talking: "You see, there are quite a few things going on in this city that you should be aware of. Going into detail would take too long right now, though."

She knew very well how pathetic it sounded, but she could not just transform and give her flashy introduction into the world of magic... because that would give them the wrong idea. Luring them into a barrier was out of the question, too.

"The point is, there are several supernatural occurences around Mitakihara that might be dangerous for you. So if you encounter one of them, please be careful in your actions."

And to top it off, Candel was pushing harder. She seemed really eager on breaking out of her Grief Seed. Unfortunately though, the younger girls were just confused. Miki tilted her head and the wary look in her eyes was now a bit stronger than before. "Look, I don't know how old you think we are, but neither of us believes in that stuff anymore. What kind of 'supernatural' do you even mean, miss?"

This was a first for the dedicated blunette to talk to her like that... it stung a bit. However, the blonde could not really concentrate on that for a very easy reason.

"Um... Sayaka-chan?"

"Hm?"  
Kaname was looking at Mami's pocket and the slight glimmers of light that emanated from it. The Magical Girl quickly pulled the Grief Seed out of there before the body of the Dress-Up Witch could form; she would rip apart the skirt otherwise. Now however, the regular girls gawked at the glowing orb while the blonde sighed. "This kind of supernatural... though this one being is definitely friendly. As I said, going into detail would take too long."

As she spoke, yellow threads spun out of the Grief Seed's center, meeting a few centimeters above and below. More followed and the forming body quickly spun around itself while its heart was already completely covered. Small holes in the fabric were patched up as it slowly went to a halt; ribbons for arms and legs sprouted out of the respective places. Then the large price-tag erupted from her head and with one last shiver, the still rather round doll deflated and seemed to pull some ribbons into itself, thereby returning her hips to the thin form Mami was used to.

Candeloro landed right in front of them with the light now gone, gawked at by both younger girls. The doll bounced up and down a few times before standing still. Mami was not sure whether she should sigh or be glad that they would at least believe her that there was _something_ out there.

The newly emerged Witch slowly turned her head around, took note of the confused and slightly scared gazes from the humans before becoming aware of Mami and jumping at her with a squeal. "Mami! I'm back!"

Though she was also shivering and hugged her tightly. The blonde finally decided on a lenient smile and gently stroked her back. "There, there. It is good to see you well again."

While the ribbons the Witch had for arms continued to wrap around her, she was well aware of Kaname and Miki looking. There was just not much she could do right now, seeing how the eldritch being shook. "The Witch of Needles was so scary! It really hurt to fight her... and Lilly set everything on fire when we went in!"

This was news to her. Surprised yellow was now completely directed at the Witch in her arms. "Yuri-san did? She never mentioned that."

Then however, a somewhat shaky cough reminded them that they were not in private. When she looked up, she saw the two girls standing there, their eyes on Candeloro.

Mami detached the doll from her chest after a few more moments and held her by her hips. "We can talk about it later. You had a really bad timing right now."

Candel had been turning her head as well and was already waving with her ribbon. "Oh, I didn't see you there! Hello, nice to meet you!"

Her behaviour and appearance just did not match and the Magical Girl could see how confused the younger girls were. At least Kaname tried to keep her appearance and smiled back at the Witch. "Good afternoon... um..."

Right, no one had introduced herself as of yet, so Mami quickly took over to help the pinkette: "My, how rude of me; I completely forgot. My name is Tomoe Mami and this is Candeloro. You do not need to be afraid of her; as I said, she does not mean harm."

Both girls bowed their heads in greeting as well; while they did, the Dress-Up Witch wiggled out of Mami's grasp and pulled herself over to stand on her shoulder. Seeing her ribbons lenghten and shorten in such smooth motions prompted a slightly surprised and awed gaze from Miki while Kaname went to complete the introduction: "I see. My name is Kaname Madoka and my friend is Miki Sayaka. Nice to meet you both."

The doll on her shoulders seemed to shine in happiness and Mami had the bad feeling to know where this was...

"Let's be friends!"

...going. There it was and going by the dumbfounded looks they earned for her Witch's statement, she could tell very well how the other two might think about that. Miki raised her hands defensively. "Whoa, whoa. We just met, you know?"

This only prompted Candel to raise her arms and wave them around her head, almost hitting Mami in the process. "What does it matter? I..."

Now the blonde had to interrupt. She did so by putting a hand on her alter ego's head to make her stop, while also sending the doll a warning gaze. "I guess I have to educate you about Japanese customs. You are too straight-forward, Candel."

Now a set of two ribbons wound around her hand and... did this being just billow out her face? Should this be a pout? "Boo! I know Japanese customs, but they're boring and way too slow! I can't make friends like that!"

Unfortunately, Mami thought the same at times. She could not really go against her own beliefs that much. However, she had to try her hardest to do so for the sake of her juniors... who giggled over the conversation they witnessed, much to her surprise. Kaname held a hand in front of her mouth and once she calmed down again, she smiled at both of them. "I don't mind being friends with you."

"Hurray!"

And there she wiggled out of her grasp again, only to jump at the surprised pinkette and hug her tightly, much to the younger girl's surprise and also embarassment.

"Huh? Uh..."

At least she did not break Kaname's bones by mistake because she was not paying attention. Yuri told her before that Candeloro had a lot of physical strength once she could wind her ribbons around something.

Mami smiled apologeptically and shook her head slightly. "I am really sorry for that, Kaname-san. There is not much either of us can do against it, though."

The other girl just shook her head and smiled back. "It's fine. I'm sure she doesn't mean harm."

Miki on her part stood a bit to the side and was watching the display with a mixture of wariness, confusion and surprise. The blunette had every right to, though; this was so far out of the ordinary that anyone would not know how to react.

When Candel did not show any signs of letting go even after some time had passed, Mami sighed and took a few steps forward; she carefully detached the ribbons from Kaname, who seemed grateful for that. "We already used up more of your time than I initially intended. Anyway, please be careful about strange occurences around you for now. A friend of mine will soon transfer into your class, too. Once she is there, you can talk to her about this situation if you want."

The girls exchanged a glance while the Witch wiggled for a bit before becoming still and slightly deflating in her arms. Mami suppressed a sigh and wondered how she should get the doll out of here without being seen by too many people. She did not have anything on her to do that.

"Um... okay. I don't think that I get it, but... thank you for telling us, Tomoe-san."

Kaname smiled gratefully, which made Mami feel even worse. She knew perfectly well that she told them absolutely nothing and yet...

Nonetheless, the blonde returned the smile and bowed her head, as did the younger girls. "Do not mention it and take care. I am sure that we will meet again soon."

 **. . .**

She was not really sure if she understood the situation. Mami was talking to Madoka and Sayaka as if they were strangers. But why? They had been together... in the future. Right, that was it. Now it made sense how reluctant her Magical Girl was.

On the other hand, the doll could feel the uneasiness from all three girls and if she could, she would have hugged it out of them. However, Lilly told her not to overdo it... Lilly...

 _Right... we were in that barrier... and I fought Quitterie... and she killed me and I killed her and fire and..._

Blackness. Everything became nothing and Candeloro fell into a deep slumber. She could not really remember what she dreamt about anymore, but the memories had not been pleasant. The Witch still recalled the loneliness she felt while asleep. But there had been no way to express herself in this state... or did she scream?

Whatever the case, she had at least been aware that she died before. Unfortunately, her conscious memory put death and rebirth only a few seconds apart, so she very well remembered what happened in the barrier of the Witch of Needles... thank goodness that Mami was there to comfort her. And new people to meet.

A sigh had the eldritch being return from her own thoughts, only to see that they were alone now; Madoka and Sayaka both left while she was pondering. Mami sat down with her back on the wall and gently placed the doll in her lap. They looked at each other for a moment before Candel snuggled against her Magical Girl and wound her arms around her waist. "Don't worry, Mami. Everything will be fine."

She really meant it. For as long as they stayed together and helped each other, there was nothing that could go wrong. The blonde smiled weakly upon hearing her words and petted her head. "If I just had your optimism... that was unexpectedly difficult, I have to admit... I am used to flashy and confident introductions, not something like this. They would not even have believed me without your appearance."

The doll on her part enjoyed being tended to and started to purr due to the caressing. Somewhere amidst this, she found a moment to respond: "Couldn't we just have shown them?"

Her question prompted another sigh and Mami shook her head slightly. "Yuri-san told me that I must not give them the idea of wanting to be Magical Girls. I am not good at doing this properly, so I figured I should just make them wary of Kyubey for the time being and wait until Homura-san transferred in."

She could understand the thought behind Mami's actions. Although her alter ego never actually stated it.

"So you don't want them to dislike you, either?"

Homura and Yuri did not seem to mind that as much as they did. It was reasonable, though Candel also felt bad for pushing this kind of responsibility on others. Her question had the stroking cease until Mami's hand was just lying on her head and the doll's price-tag sunk until it was flat down on her back.

"We are pathetic in that regard, are we not?"

Looking up showed her that the Magical Girl wore another of those weak smiles, but at least it was a smile. She slowly unwound her arms and petted the blonde in return, stroking the soft hair with gentle movements. "I don't care. If we are, then we are pathetic together."

Mami was her and she was Mami. This was a truth that would always remain, a certainty for both of them.

They were not alone. And they would never be alone again.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When two voices anounced their return in unison, Homura already knew what happened. Lilly was not yet back from Kazamino, though her 'cleaning'-mission in the neighbouring town seemed to go as planned. The time traveler knew just how efficient her Witch was in terms of killing other Witches.

Now however, she had to deal with another of the eldritch beings that leaped down from Mami's arms the moment the blonde entered the living room. Then a long jump brought her to hug Homura, had it not been for the Magical Girl extending her hands and catching the doll before she could impact with her chest.

"Good afternoon, Candel."

The Witch stopped in something that might be surprise before waving her arms back and forth and exclaiming a cheerful "I'm back, Homura!", which had Mami smile leniently. The raven-haired girl took note of that and let Candeloro down to stand on her own feet. The Dress-Up Witch bounced slightly as she walked over to look at the table. "What were you doing?"

One of her arms curiously examined the bowl where the time traveler sat mixing a few different things together. When it touched the contents though, it quickly retreated with a surprised squeak of the possessor and the blackened tip was regarded with curiousity. "Is that gunpowder?"

"Something like that."

In fact, Homura had been busy building more pipe bombs. Mami understood this at once, though she did not react to it. The blond Magical Girl just turned around to take a look at the clock on the wall before casting a glance back at the other veteran. "It is getting rather late. Do you think I should start making dinner?"

This brought her to regard the current line of work and what was laid out, make a few calculations and realise that she would only need a few more minutes until all of this was done. On top of that, she had nothing better to do, so helping the other girl preparing food was as good a way to busy herself as any. She would head out a bit later.

"Lilly should be back soon... give me a moment to finish this."

As she went back to work, the other two regarded her with whatever expressions, she did not pay attention to them right now. The only thing the time traveler knew was that she was looked at.

After a while of them watching her working, Mami's voice gingerly cut the silence apart: "You... mean you want to help me?"

Had that not been clear?

"Yes."

That was all she had to say on the matter. However, Homura understood very well that her response just made the blonde smile. Lilly did have a point when she said that it was rather easy to read this girl.


	40. Preparations IV

It was not that she was really angry with Lilly, but Candel could not bring herself to forgive the other Witch that easily. She pouted at her for the whole evening and ignored attempts made to talk to her... okay, there were only two of those, but that still counted!

Then however, Lilly just shrugged and went off to somewhere else... and now it was morning and her friend was still not back home. Candel started to worry somewhere during the night and because she had trouble falling asleep as it was, this did not help her one bit. In fact, she was lying awake for most of the night, unable to go and look for the other Witch even though she wanted: Mami was clutching her in her arms and did not seem intent on letting go.

Candel liked the warmth that emanated from her Magical Girl, her... sister? What were they to each other, she wondered during the hours of unrest. She still had no real conclusion to that.

Now that the three of them -the two Magical Girls and her- had risen and were eating breakfast, the lack of Lilly was even more obvious, seeing that there was a fourth plate, completely empty and unused. Both her and Mami gave it worried glances once in a while, though this was easier to tell with her alter ego. Candel's senses worked a bit differently after all. She had no real movement in her eyes or facial features like humans did.

However, Homura caught on to it and put down her fork after a while. "Stop worrying. There are no strong Magical Girls around this city except for Sakura Kyoko... who is more or less on Lilly's side. And as you should be aware of by now, no Witch can stand against her."

She was right and Candel knew that, but she could not help herself. "But Lilly is my friend! I can't just sit here and not worry about her!"

Mami nodded in agreement before looking out of the window. "Candel is right, Homura-san. I would at least like to know where Yuri-san is."

So they felt the same in the matter. The doll slowly emptied her tea by absorbing it through the cloth of her arm, all the while wondering whether she should just go looking by herself.

"Going by how she acted so far, she might be on her way to Kazamino already. You might not have noticed, but Lilly prefers to avoid trouble of any kind. This was most likely to have you cool down after that episode yesterday."

Wait, saying those words like that meant... her price-tag sunk when she understood. "You mean... it's my fault Lilly hasn't come home?"

That made her sad, more than she actually thought it would. Did that mean that Lilly and her were no longer friends?  
"Now now, Homura-san. I do think that Yuri-san is the one that should apologise to begin with. We already spoke about that."

Yes, they did... Candel told them what happened in Quitterie's barrier and earned two things: Praise from Mami and a frown from Homura, though that had been mostly because of Lilly. Still...

"I don't care! I want Lilly to come back!"

She really did not mind it anymore, if this only meant that her friend would return. Candel did not want to lose a single one of the people she became friends with. She would give it her all so that this never happened.

Her outburst prompted the two Magical Girls to look at her with surprised expressions, though Homura's face soon returned to its regular state devoid of emotion; following that, the time traveler rose to her feet. "It gets late."

This was everything she said and in response, Mami got up as well after taking a look at the clock on the wall. "You are right. I should get going... and Candel? I am sure that she will be back in the evening."

She was given a reassuring smile that had her calm down at least a bit. Her arms were still shaking slightly, though... and she was still not happy. The blond girl quickly left the room to get her bag and the doll really hoped that her mumbling was not heard: "But I want her back now..."

Both her and Homura remained where they were until Mami walked past the doorframe again to get to the front door.

"I am off then!"

She quickly replied with a "Take care!" before her alter ego left, but then turned around upon hearing Homura sigh. "I guess it can't be helped. We take care of the dishes and go on a hike afterwards."

"A hike?"

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

And an exciting hike it was! Candel never rode the bus before and she did not even remember experiences like that from Mami's past. The vibrations from the large vehicle went right through Homura's body and the bag the Magical Girl had on her lap, so that even the doll could feel them. She also felt a few people around herself, but not that many. Not that she minded right now, though. Her companion did not mention where they were going, but she suspected Kazamino; the place Lilly occupied right now.

 _We're visiting Lilly! Thank you, Homura!_

The time traveler could not hear her thoughts, but they agreed on Candel keeping her silence until she was allowed to speak. She reluctantly accepted that, though mostly because of what Lilly told her earlier. Her friend had been very clear about not raising suspicion or attention.

 **. . .**

Homura on her part was wondering why exactly she volunteered to do this. Candeloro might be a young Witch, but she would surely survive having to wait for a few hours.

On the other hand, there was no saying what she might do if left alone. In the worst case, the doll would go and walk to Kazamino; which meant that she could not be by herself today. Homura had to look after her no matter what and because Madoka was at school for a few more hours, there was nothing to do right now.

 _Or maybe I'm becoming soft again..._

This was also a possibility, although more doubtful than the first one. She refused to think about it any more.

The bus came to a halt soon after and the voicebox announced that they were in the outskirts of the neighbouring city. Homura decided to start looking around here. Unfortunately, she still had no real means of contacting Lilly.

On the other hand, it would be rather easy to gain her attention.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Good morning, Sunshine."

Of all ways to be greeted in the morning, Kyoko found that she really disliked this one. Especially because Yuri was sitting on the railing of the balcony belonging to her room. A smug smile was spread over her lips and the Witch seemed as if she had been awake for hours already.

The redhead just came out here to get some fresh air, not for that chick to bother her.

"What's that, no response? That's really unlike you."

"Shuddup."

She was not in the mood to deal with this odd eldritch being; not this early in the morning. Unfortunately, her command was only regarded with an amused chuckle... that stopped suddenly. Yuri's head turned to the side, much to Kyoko's confusion. Was there something over there?

"Okay... I guess I know whom to let out your grumpiness on. A Witch just died not too far away."

Hearing this had the redhead blink a few times while her thoughts started to go faster and reach normal speed.

There was someone in her territory. Someone that did not belong there.

Magical Girl and Witch exchanged a glance before the latter nodded with a small smile. "Count me in... though I think I will stay in the background and stop her from escaping if she tries."

That was alright. In fact, Kyoko would have refused if she wanted to take matters into her own hands. This was not Yuri's territory, so she should stay away from preserving it... completely by herself. Having an ace up her sleeve was never a bad thing, though.

"Fine with me. Just give me a sec."

It was not that she had pyjamas to change out of, but her jacket was not worn during the night. The redhead quickly had it slide over her shoulders; then she went to leave the building through the entrance as to not raise suspicion. The people here were already wondering how she could afford her extended stay anyway, so she might have to change locations soon. However, that was not important right now.

The moment she entered a nearby alleyway, Kyoko transformed and took a few leaps up to the rooftop. Yuri was already waiting for her there, wearing a frown on her face and looking in a slightly different direction. "Strange... they found the next one already."

"So what?", the redhead made her presence known before pointing in the direction the Witch had been watching. "This way?"

She was given a small nod, though her... 'companion' looked as if she was thinking about something... whatever, that could wait. The Magical Girl took a running start towards the edge of the roof and jumped.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Um... Homura?"

"Yes?"

"Are you... really sure that we should do this?"

"Yes."

While the time traveler understood what brought her current partner to ask this particular question, she did not have the slightest doubt that it would work. Lilly would notice what they were doing and come over.

They were currently making their way down to the second lair within an hour. Candeloro's abilities in terms of sensing her kind were indeed better than those of Magical Girls; they still needed longer as they would with Lilly doing the searching, but this did not mean much in a city as infested as this one. Even when her Witch already started cleaning, new eldritch beings still emerged.

"Okay..."

The doll did not say any more and just proceeded to shoot yet another Familiar that was moving their way. Homura held her tight and Candel moved the rifles that emerged from her arms when needed. It worked surprisingly well and the young Witch's aim was impressive, the Magical Girl found. On top of that, Candeloro did not need to summon another rifle like Tomoe Mami had to. While the weapons the blonde created had one shot each, her Witch had two rifles that could be reloaded . It seemed a bit more reasonable to have it this way, though she had to admit that Mami's way of fighting was more impressive.

Homura turned to the side to give her companion a good look at a swarm of four bee-like Familiars with large lollipops for stings and the whole group was shot down in about two seconds. The smell of burned cloth filled her nose once again and she wondered just how this doll actually worked.

"That's far better than last time, Homura! My arms melted when I fought Quitterie because I had to shoot so often..."

There was a hint and, seeing that there was nothing else to do, the Magical Girl used the opportunity to ask questions: "So those rifles of yours produce heat?"

"Hm? Yes, they do. It's okay if I shoot just a few times and let them cool down afterwards, but... I can do more if necessary."

So rapid-fire was an option.

"I see. What about the large cannons Tomoe Mami can create? Do you have something similar?"

It would be good to know the strength their newest addition could bring to bear. Mami's destructive force was a good thing to have; having it twice would be wonderful.

"Um... uh... actually, I never tried... should I?"

At least she was open to discuss this... although this particular trait of Candel's character might get them in trouble someday; still, gathering information was always the first step. Nonetheless, Homura shook her head and continued to walk backwards, so that the group that tried to ambush them could be blasted out of existence. The recoil was comparably weak, so she had no trouble keeping her balance. "Not yet. Wait until we reach the Witch."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Waiting sucked. Kyoko always thought that.

If it was not something she really, really wanted, the redhead would never bother with waiting in a line or something like that.

This was no different to other occasions where she just skipped the waiting altogether, but jumping head-first into a barrier that contained an unknown Magical Girl was not the best idea. In the worst case, both the intruder and the Witch would gang up on her. Something like that happened once before... and never thereafter because Kyoko brought all of her willpower to bear and just kept observing the place where the girl would appear after killing the being that created the barrier.

Additionally, she had backup this time around... though the Magical Girl did not trust Yuri further than she could see her; on the other hand, this was how she thought of everyone.

The irregular Witch was waiting on the rooftop towards the other end of the alleyway Kyoko sat in. Just in case that unknown was trying to run away. The sensations coming from the Witch in the barrier changed bit by bit, indicating that the battle finally started. Just a few more minutes...

And then, suddenly, there they were. Marked by the sound of someone crying, two shapes formed on the ground, one a girl as expected... the other as a doll that sat on the ground.

 _Wait... What?_

There was a really strange doll sitting on the floor. On top of that, it was crying and pressing a set of severely rippled and burned ribbons to its chest... ribbons that emerged from its shoulders. On top of that, those ribbons looked familiar. On top of _that_ , the girl that just left the barrier was slender, had long, black hair and cold, purple eyes. Just like a certain Witch that was staring down from the roof; obviously as dumbfounded as Kyoko was herself.

The new arrival quickly went to crouch next to the doll. "Candel?"

If that was a name, it was a strange one. The strange thing just continued to sob. "It hurts!"

And even the voice was familiar... though she could not really put it right now. What was even stranger was that her Soul Gem... did not... stop... shining.

As the conclusion to the question why she was still sensing a Witch right in front of her formed, Yuri landed right next to her with a sigh that caught her lookalike's attention. Both girls exchanged a glance before the Witch raised an eyebrow. "You know that there are easier ways to get my attention."

And now the unknown did the same, thereby being an exact copy. "Since you refuse to have a cellphone, I don't saw an easier way."

So they were acquainted. Kyoko eyed both the new Magical Girl and the sobbing Witch for a moment longer, then she turned her head to Yuri: "You know them?"

The question got her a short nod and a sideway glance. "I do."

In fact, she actually wanted to know a bit more than that, but the eldritch being did not seem inclined to tell her anything. She just went a few steps forward and regarded the doll on the ground, that finally stopped sobbing and slowly waved a brand new set of ribbons in front of its face as if to scrutinize them. "And what happened with you before?"

The other Witch looked up and tilted her head. Now that Kyoko looked closer, there was yellow yarn all around her. "I tried a Tiro Finale, but my arms exploded..."

She sobbed again and wiggled the ribbons... and now the redhead understood it perfectly clear. She realised where she heard someone like this before, what those ribbons reminded her of...

"The hell? Why's that thing running around with Mami's voice?"

That was what put her so off before... the voice of her mentor coming out of a Witch.

Kyoko's agitated question had all three turn their heads her way, then Yuri shrugged. "Why do I sound like Homura, I wonder?"

Then she pointed at the doll. "Same reason for her, though a different appearance."

 _Wait... waitwait... that makes no sense..._

No matter how she put it...

"Ah! I completely forgot! Lilly!"

While the Magical Girl still pondered, her 'partner' was jumped by the doll-Witch. "I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

 _Uh... just..._

This situation made less sense with every passing second; and that was not just because of this strange explanation she just got. While the doll-Witch apparently almost suffocated the human-shaped one, Kyoko shook her head and produced a few cookies out of the depth of her pockets. She always felt better after having a snack and besides, this did not seem as if it would be over soon.

Interestingly, Yuri did not even try to break free from those ribbons. She just stood there and waited until her captor kept quiet before flicking her head with two fingers. The doll recoiled slightly.

"You do realise I'm not angry, right? There is no point in that anyway; you did nothing wrong. So could you please let go?"

That was a surprisingly calm and accepting response. While the redhead wondered what they were arguing about, the other raven-haired girl came to a stop right next to her. Kyoko smirked her way. "Yo."

The other Magical Girl's greeting consisted of two Grief Seeds flying her way. "We only went to hunt to get noticed. Those belong to you anyway."

So that matter was clear as well. Those two were definitely with Yuri, although this strange puppet speaking with Mami's voice was still strange. Especially since she behaved a bit like a caricature of the blonde that once trained her, what's with that clinging to people she liked like glue.

 _Just this one's way more persistent..._

Seeing how the doll still refused to let go of the other Witch.

"Yah, whatever. Mind telling me what that's about?"

She was given a blank stare that put her off a bit. This girl was definitely different from Yuri, despite looking just like her. "You should ask them about that. I was not there. Nonetheless, we should get acquainted, Sakura Kyoko."

So first she was all cold and and now she was not? What was with her?

Kyoko did not really like those people that thought they stood above everyone else and the only reason she got along well enough with Yuri was because the Witch seemed to know very well how high she was justified to feel. The redhead smirked a bit dangerously; not that she would start a fight right now, but that might happen soon.

"How 'bout you start with your name then?"

Purple and red met briefly, then the other girl nodded. "Akemi Homura."

 _Okay... what's with this chick?_

Was she trying to pick a fight here and now? Because Kyoko was rather sure that it would not take much longer until her fist connected with that arrogant face.

That might not end well, seeing that Homura would most likely get help from those two Witches; whatever, she had two more Grief Seeds and a stockpile higher than any other Magical Girl might have ever had. She could bear with that annoying behaviour for a while.

The eldritch beings were still arguing among themselves... although both of them started speaking foreign languages by now. Not that she could tell which one, though.

She cast a quick glance at the other Magical Girl, who was busy checking her Soul Gem and then her cellphone to look at the time.

Now all of this made even less sense, Kyoko realised; they must all be from Mitakihara, where Mami lived. Only Yuri could hide her presence -as she stated herself-, so would that not mean that the blonde was either in on all of this or at least knew about it? Kyubey should have noticed and told her after all... there was not much that the little pest did not notice.

She did not like this caricature of a cat for her own reasons, but she had to give it that at least.

"Mind telling me something?"

The other girl cast a glance her way and nodded a moment later. She seemed attentive; that was at least something. Kyoko leaned back against the wall.

"You're from Mitakihara, right?"

"Yes."

The response came fast and somehow, the redhead got the feeling that there was a bit more to the way Homura spoke. Not that she could put it, but this might be something different from arrogance after all... though that did not mean that it was any less annoying.

However, there was still something not adding up.

"Okay. How do you keep those two hidden from Mami? Doubt that she'd just let you have two Witches with you."

The other Magical Girl did not avert her gaze; the two stared at each other for a while and Kyoko got the feeling that this question would not be answered at all. Then however, the raven-haired girl closed her eyes and slightly lowered her head; more a gesture of thought than of anything else, though.

"Tomoe Mami... has very little reason to object. In fact, she can't object Candeloro's presence at all. I doubt that you would believe me if I told you the reason, though."

Then her eyelids rose again and thoughtful purple stared right back at curious red. Now she had her hooked...

"Try me."

"Not yet."

Another voice chimed into their conversation and when the two Magical Girls turned their heads, they saw Yuri walking their way with the doll -Candeloro, apparently- sitting on her shoulder. She eyed them both and shook her head. "This is not the time. If you're that interested, though... you should go and talk to Mami herself. She will be more than happy to see you."

This was ridiculous. She and her former senior separated on really bad terms; why should the other girl be happy to see her?

"Yes, that would be wonderful! We can have tea and lots of cake if you visit us!"

Now the doll was waving her arms around again; all the while, Kyoko wondered about this whole situation. What had she gotten herself into?

On the other hand... she did think about talking to the blonde before. The decision whether to go or not had never been made, though. She was at a stalemate with herself and that was annoying just as well. On the one hand, the redhead wanted to get this out of the way. She would not work with Mami again, that she was sure of... but getting along anyway was alright.

And yet... maybe it was that she had no idea how the other girl would take her approach.

Kyoko sighed and waved it off. "Whatever... I'll think about it."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

It was rather clear now. The initial stream of questions could now be answered. Mostly, that was.

There were still a few lingering topics to be examined, but the most pressing points had been resolved. For example that the being that called herself Akemi Yuri was indeed a Witch despite lacking the associated aura. Her interaction with Candeloro, Akemi Homura, Tomoe Mami and Sakura Kyoko was more than enough proof of that. However, this particular specimen did not seem too careful with hiding her identity. She attempted to appear as if she could not perceive Kyubey, yet the Incubator noticed instances where her gaze was definitely focussed on it. On top of that, her outstanding physical capabilities, similar to those of Magical Girls, made it another fact.

However, this particular Witch was now classified as a potentially dangerous force. She held the trust of Mami and Kyoko, two of the most experienced Magical Girls in all of Japan. Additionally, all the more promising candidates and stronger Magical Girls around Mitakihara had been killed in advance.

In other words: Akemi Yuri did not need to be extra careful, seeing that Kyubey could not bring anything to this city that could take her group on. One of the two clans from Tokyo would be necessary to make an appearance in full to defeat her; unfortunately, both of those preferred to remain in the capital and continue their cold war with each other.

Kyubey was well aware that time was of the essence; but it had to be patient. Otherwise, everything might collapse even further.

What it still had no idea about was Mami's sudden change in behaviour. She refused to talk to it and sent it away when approached. The same went for the origin of the two irregular Witches. Candeloro simply took form out of a Soul Gem, so the Incubator was inclined to believe in a natural phenomenon. However, Akemi Yuri had a completely human form, something that could not be by chance. It was purposefully chosen and from the look of it, she was far more experienced than the other one. Which indicated that she was the first to be born.

Going by this train of thought, Kyubey was rather sure that Candeloro was created by or because of Yuri. This did not help it to understand the situation as a whole, though.

 _Akemi Homura intercepted my attempt to get into contact with Kaname Madoka. She has to be aware of how much potential this girl possesses._

The Incubator noticed this particular girl just a few days ago; she was so potent that the air around her was vibrating with energy. However it missed this one before.

Still, all of this did not yet form a satisfying picture. At least one key component was missing to understand all of this. Kyubey had to wait and gather more data; a careful approach warranted the highest rate of success.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

They were getting a few looks, but Lilly was already used to that. Twins sitting next to each other always gathered a certain amount of attention.

Her, Homura and Candel went back to Mitakihara together, the two Akemis riding the bus and the doll currently waiting in the bag on the Magical Girl's lap.

 _Was that really a good thing..._

Actually, she had wanted to wait a bit longer before inviting Kyoko over to join them. The redhead seemed fine with her offer, but still. Lilly worried that this might go too fast.

Her gaze wandered to the bag Homura held on to and she had to suppress a sigh. Candeloro was definitely a bothersome child... but in the end, she could bear with that.

They were both Witches, creatures of despair... what connected them was the fact that while they embodied insanity, they were both relatively sane.

And there was no one like them.


	41. Spear and Ribbons I

The first week was over.

Lilly was not really happy with how all of this was going, but she would not complain just yet. Kyoko seemed inclined to pay them a visit very soon, Mami appeared rather content by now... it could be worse, really.

While optimism was by far not her strong point, this situation looked rather positive to her. Unfortunately though, she had to do something bothersome again. Today was Homura's first day at school; which meant that a certain Witch would be without company if Lilly went to Kazamino by herself again.

Therefore, the little doll was waiting patiently in the duffel bag they bought to carry her around in; it was normal enough not to raise suspicion when she walked by. Additionally, this one was big enough for the Dress-Up Witch to sit comfortably, so she would not squirm around like before.

Although she was not happy to have the other eldritch being around Kyoko again... the redhead would just continue to ask question; questions she did not want to answer before the Magical Girl was in Mitakihara.

An inaudible sigh escaped her and Mortal World's Witch slowly rubbed her hands. Her finger was itching a bit, but she could not get the feeling away.

 **. . .**

Homura on her part was doing her best not to glare at Madoka. She had just been introduced to her class and everyone was as surprised about her appearance as usual. Those faces were so familiar and yet she did not know more than four or five names.

Seeing that neither her nor Mami wanted to rely on Kyubey's telepathic communication, the two Magical Girls were currently not in contact. They did plan on meeting up during lunchbreak, though.

"Well... Akemi-san? The place behind Nakazawa-kun is still free, so please sit there."

She nodded slightly at their teacher, then strode over to the indicated place. Homura knew that there were gazes following her... and she did see Madoka's and Sayaka's among them. Both girls were curious; most likely because of what the other Magical Girl told them a few days ago.

 _Was that really a good idea..._

She wondered about that more than once. Lilly proposed this course of action, but the time traveler could still not stop worrying. After all, even Mortal World's Witch had been wrong before... more than once.

However, she was still willing to trust her sister.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The first lessons passed and lunchbreak came, as it always did. Homura rose to her feet before the crowd could even form around her, not caring for how rude it may seem. She had no desire to talk to those people.

The raven-haired girl produced the lunchbox Mami prepared out of her bag, turned her head for a moment and caught Madoka looking. Most people were looking at her anyway, but the gentle pinkette did not seem to realise that; she quickly turned her head somewhere else.

Homura averted her own gaze and went to leave the room. If she stared at Madoka any longer, someone might notice. Or rather someone might notice that she did not just look in a random direction.

 **. . .**

 _Um... does she..._

She was not sure what this mysterious girl meant with that look. Had she just been uncomfortable being looked at by her? Did she want to talk to her?

Madoka could not really guess what she meant. However, this other girl -Tomoe- told them to wait for a transfer student... and here she was. Akemi Homura. Was this the person the blonde meant a few days ago?

Madoka had been wondering about that for a while now. This doll she saw on that day was definitely not a hologram or something ordinary. She felt all the ribbons around her very well when she got that... hug?

Candeloro was her name... and apparently, the pinkette was her friend. Not that she particularly minded, but it was still a bit surprising back then.

Now however, Madoka was still left to wonder whether the transfer student wanted her to follow. Going by the look she was just given, that _might_ be the case... but she was not sure.

"Is everything alright, Madoka-san?"

Upon hearing her friend's question, the girl quickly snapped out of her thoughtfulness and nodded. "Uh... yes. I just spaced out for a moment."

The pinkette suppressed a sigh and took out her own lunch. Strangely enough, there was a small sheet of paper attached to it. Maybe a message from her father?

This would not be the first time for him to do something like that, but it was rare that he did. On top of that, she could swear that there had been no note on it when she packed it into her bag earlier.

Madoka curiously took the paper and unfolded it... and gasped in surprise. Sayaka and Hitomi quickly turned their heads and came over.

"What is it, Madoka-san?", the green-haired girl wanted to know while Sayaka just looked over the smaller girl's shoulder and read what was written there.

Someone wanted her to come to the roof. But how did this message get into her bag? Who placed it there?

Madoka wondered and also, she was a bit embarassed. What was this letter supposed to be? An invitation, maybe? Whatever it was, the pinkette thought that it might have to do with Tomoe... and she was actually curious about what the blonde spoke about a few days ago. She promised that she would tell them more once a transfer student arrived, so...

"What do you think, Madoka? Want to go and find out?"

Her gaze quickly found Sayaka's and she nodded slowly. "Um... yes, I do."

Hitomi eyed them both with a slight tilt of her head, the question apparent in her expression. Madoka quickly gave her the letter so that the more polite girl could take a look as well. Once the green eyes scanned the few lines of characters, her eyebrows rose slightly. "Oh my, that does sound important."

Her eyes conveyed about the same thing Sayaka just said: if she wanted to go, her friends would come with her. It was a big relief to know that she would not be alone... but on the other hand, the pinkette was rather sure that Hitomi would not believe it at all. She did not meet Candeloro before and was generally less prone to just believe... Sayaka was something else, but... maybe she should go and find out what they wanted first?

"Um... actually, Hitomi-chan, Sayaka-chan... I think it would be a bit rude if we all went... they just asked me to come after all. Maybe they want to talk in private? So... um... you see..."

She knew that she was beating around the bush, but what she did right now was also a bit rude. Nonetheless, her friends understood what she meant and smiled at her reassuringly, although Sayaka seemed concerned as well. Hitomi nodded understandingly. "I see. That is very thoughtful of you, Madoka-san. In this case, Sayaka-san and I will wait here."

The tomboy turned her head in surprise when their well-mannered friend just made the decision for her, but she did not object. Madoka smiled at the two of them. "Thank you, both of you. I tell you about it later."

Then Madoka stood and left the room in a quick pace. She did not want to let them wait any longer.

 **. . .**

Now there were only two girls left. Wondering blue met pondering green while both of them unpacked their lunch. Sayaka shook her head after a moment. "Really now... weird thing that."

"I agree... Maybe it has to do with Akemi-san?"

Not that she suspected the transfer student to mean harm, but it was a rather strange coincidence for a letter like this to appear on the same day the girl started to attend this school. Hitomi was not completely convinced about that, though. It was just a possibility. Then however, one had to wonder what the raven-haired girl wanted from their friend.

Which was a question she could not really answer.

"Who knows. She will tell us later, right?"

"Most likely."

They started to eat in their respective pace, Sayaka a bit faster and Hitomi more refined. Their gentle friend would definitely tell them on time, except if she was asked to keep whatever they wanted to speak about a secret.

That was another good quality of Madoka: she really did her best to keep a secret if it was told to her.

Though Hitomi also wondered who exactly gave her that message... and when.

 **. . .**

"Is there a reason you can't eat with us today?"

The other girls that had already expected the blonde with their lunchboxes in hand did not seem happy... and honestly, neither was Mami. However, she had to set priorities; thankfully, her explanation would most likely be accepted.

The third-year smiled apologeptically and nodded. "Actually, there is. You see, Tachibana-san... a friend of mine transferred in today and I already promised to have lunch with her. She might have some trouble adjusting, so..."

Her words made the other girls' expressions a bit more lenient, although one of them opened her eyes wide in surprise and pointed at her. "Waiwait... you're friends with that beauty from 2-C?!"

Now the attention became divided: those that probably did not see the raven-haired girl before eyed the one that spoke while the rest went to stare Mami's way, waiting for a response. The Magical Girl nodded again and smiled. "Why yes, Kuroi-san. Homura-san is a really nice person to be around... once one got used to her cold behaviour."

She found that she liked to talk with her classmates. It had been ages since they actually interacted before last week... or at least it felt that way.

Nonetheless, she had to go or she would miss Kaname.

"However, I have to get going now. See you later, everyone."

A quick, apologeptic bow later, the blonde was on her way with a part of the group waving after her. This was really nice for a change.

Still, Mami wondered if they could defeat Walpurgis this time around... although the last time had been a real mess, she had to admit. Miki dead, everyone splintered up and Kaname unsupervised, open to Kyubey's scheming. Surely they could do better this time.

While she walked, the Magical Girl greeted the few familiar faces she met on the corridors; the teachers got short, respectful bows and nodded at her with appreciative smiles. Mami did try her hardest in school after all, so most of them were rather fond of her. At least she thought that they were.

Thankfully, the classrooms of the third grade were closer to the staircase leading to the roof. Mami did not need to hurry and still managed to arrive while Homura was still settling onto the bench in the middle of the structure. There were a few closer to the fence and the wall of the building, but they used this one most of the time before as well. It almost had a nostalgic feel to it now.

Maybe this was what the other girl felt when wandering this school.

Mami quickly shook her head, which send her ringlets flying around for a moment. She continued to walk towards the time traveler, who was just opening up her lunchbox; it was impossible to see her face because Homura had her back turned towards the entrance of the staircase, but the raven-haired girl stopped for a moment. Maybe she was surprised about how much food the blonde managed to stuff into such a small box.

Actually, that was an amazing feet Candel helped her with. They both realised that at least one Akemi was definitely not eating enough.

"Since you seem keen on staying so thin, we figured we should send you the message this way. Eat up, Homura-san."

Surprised purple was directed at her and the other Magical Girl raised an eyebrow before letting out a quiet sigh. "You could just have said something. I can't eat this much."

Mami smiled right back at the indifferent expression and shook her head. "Oh, we both know that this is a lie."

She left it at that and sat down as well, facing the staircase and thereby sitting back to back with her companion. This girl would be properly fed for as long as they lived together.

Another quiet sigh and the sound of chopsticks being separated from each other convinced the blonde that her order was carried out. She opened up her own lunch as well... and lowered it before having taken a single bite.

A pinkette just entered this place, looking slightly lost but also curious.

 _So she really came._

Mami did not really know how Homura contacted her or what she said, but it apparently worked. Kaname Madoka was walking towards the two Magical Girls. However, the younger girl was alone.

 _Strange... I would have thought at least Miki-san to be with her..._

On the other hand, this might be a bit more convenient, seeing that the energetic blunette was a bit too eager to form a contract once given the chance.

This thought had her pause for a moment.

 _Oh my... I am starting to sound like Yuri-san._

Not that Mami thought it a particularly bad thing. Being influenced by the human-shaped Witch did save her life and sanity after all. Though it was still interesting that she apparently even caught on to the other beings' train of thought.

The thought was pushed away to be continued later as the blonde rose to her feet; taking care of Kaname came first.

Therefore, she bowed her head in greeting and received the same in return. Homura put down her lunch and stood up, then turned around to nod at the new arrival as well. Her expression was particularly unreadable right now; Mami figured that it was on purpose.

"Um... I'm sorry to intrude, Tomoe-san, Akemi...san?"

This was one of the first times she actually noticed how polite Kaname actually tried to be. That kind of behaviour had not really been necessary in the last timeline; in fact, they got along rather well the moment they were introduced. Although that might have been because of Yuri... and Homura.

"You're not intruding on anything, Kaname-san. Please, have a seat."

She motioned for the free space between her own place and the point where the raven-haired girl's lunch sat... that was only halfway done. Mami exchanged a glance with the time traveler and raised an eyebrow.

"Um... okay. Thank you for having me."

After saying that, the pinkette reluctantly walked past her and took the seat she had been motioned to. Therefore, the Magical Girls sat down again as well and a look over her shoulder told the blonde that Homura at least continued to eat.

"Homura is fine."

"Huh?"

Now Kaname's head turned the same way and she looked at the transfer student with what might be surprise; Mami could not really tell because her face was not visible from where she sat.

"Um... Homura...chan?"

"Yes?"

Actually, that was a completely awkward conversation and they both must knew it. Although the older girl briefly wondered about the pinkette's reasons to accept calling Homura by the more intimate honorific... and by her first name, no less. On the other hand though, she always struck Mami as a kind and sweet girl, so that might be the whole reason.

"Um... this letter, you see... did you put it in my bag?"

A letter?

The thought had Mami smile leniently. She really went with what Yuri suggested after all. However, Homura just nodded and turned her own head to meet the other girl's eyes. Her purple orbs lacked the usual intensity, though. As if she... was holding back.

 _Did Yuri-san tell her what to do?_

If she did, Mami would not mind. The Witch had a really good grasp on how to deal with situations like this one... a better grasp than her sister or the blonde.

"Anyway, about what we wanted to talk with you..."

 **. . .**

"Yo... oh. You brought that again?"

This was about the first thing they heard when Lilly let time flow again. They stood right behind one Sakura Kyoko, who was busying herself with eating a hamburger.

Now Candel was not really fond of arguing or being respectful, but that was just rude. She puffed out her cheeks and looked away. However, this only made the other Witch sigh. At least she was now out of the duffel bag and could stay in her friend's arms. Lilly held her in a loose grasp by her wasteline, so that the doll was able to slip out of it whenever she wanted. She did not want to, though.

"I can't really leave her alone and there is no one else to look after her now."

Okay, this was still brutally honest, but the Dress-Up Witch did not really take offense. She knew how Lilly meant it and... she was also right. Candel had no desire to be alone. It was the least thing she wanted.

"...Whatever. How's it going?"

Lilly went to sit down next to the redhead, with the doll resting on her lap. They were up on one of the taller buildings and watched the people below. So many people she wanted to be friends with... but she had to be careful and wait. Lilly said that she could be friends with them one day in the future, but not yet... it was sad, although she valued the other eldritch being's advice on the matter.

Thus, she was up here and not down there.

"I'm almost done. Another Witch emerged over night, but only that one, two more and a few Familiars are left. I should get done with them today... and will make one more sweep tomorrow, just to make sure. That makes twenty Witches in total."

The number had Candel look up at her friend in awe. She knew that Lilly was strong; to hear that she took care of so many of their kin was still impressive, though. Not that the doll was sad about their demise... they were almost always mean to the people, so it was fine.

"Sounds good. You're one dedicated Witch, y'know?"

"You're right! Lilly is really strong and focussed!"

She could not help herself, she had to add her own thoughts into the discussion. That brought her a glance from Kyoko and a slight smirk from the other Witch. "I know that already. Besides, have you thought about it?"

Now this gained Candeloro's attention. What were they talking about? Did Lilly make some kind of offer?

Whatever it was, the Magical Girl shrugged and finished her burger. "Still don't know. Have to think about it some more."

She was rather sure that there was a spark of annoyance coursing right through her fellow Witch upon hearing this. She did not show it, though... so only the doll perceived that. Actually, Lilly was rather calm for a while now. She would at least be somewhat... well... flowing. Her feelings changed more often on most occasions. Maybe she was thinking less than usual?

"Figures. Anyway, I'm..."

Now her feelings changed; from content to irritated. Kyoko was already getting to her feet and from the look of it, Mortal World's Witch wanted to do the same. However, her eyes were on the Dress-Up Witch and she kept quiet for a moment. "Oh. There goes my schedule."

Candel tilted her head a bit and returned the measuring gaze those purple eyes sent her. Then however, Lilly sighed and looked at the redhead. "Or maybe..."

The doll looked back and forth between the two; Kyoko on her part narrowed her eyes and seemed to be wary of whatever was to follow.

"What are you planning?"

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Huh..."

As expected, Madoka was overwhelmed. Homura was not really surprised, seeing that this happened most of the time she tried this approach in the past. She did not really hold it against the pinkette; in fact, they only did this now because Lilly figured that it might help.

"This is... I... I don't know..."

The last few pieces of meat vanished in the time traveler's mouth and she was glad that this box was empty now. While chewing, the raven-haired girl wondered just what brought Mami to take that stance regarding her meals. Why would it even matter? Homura could sustain herself with magic if necessary... this had been far too much. She was full.

Not that the food was bad or anything like that... she just never cared much for it. Or rather... the days where she cared ended long ago.

"I know it can be really overwhelming. Please take your time thinking about it, Kaname-san."

They told her everything. About Magical Girls, Witches, the contract and the meaning of Soul Gems... as well as the origin of the abyssal creatures that lurked in the dark. Nothing about themselves or Homura's time travels, but this should definitely be enough to stop her from considering this step.

Thoughtful pink was directed at the sky. "Magical Girls... it's just... I saw Candel-chan, but... all of this seems so strange..."

She mostly let the blonde speak; for one, because Mami was better with words... but also because the time traveler figured that she might not manage to finish her lunch in time otherwise. There were still a few minutes of lunchbreak left, though.

The Magical Girls exchanged a glance and apparently, they were both thinking the same thing: their approach might have worked. Nonetheless, Homura would keep a close eye on Madoka for a few days at least. There was always the possibility that Kyubey produced another ace or idea out of nowhere.

"As I said, please give it some time. If you have any further questions, Homura-san can answer them."

The other second-year turned her head to meet the time traveler's eyes, who nodded. Although there were a few things she would not speak about, of course. "I see... uh... oh, it's this late already?"

The pinkette had just taken a look at her cellphone, so she noticed the time as well. She quickly stood and bowed at both of them; however, the Magical Girls got to their feet as well. "Thank you for telling me all of this. I promise to think about it."

Mami bowed as well and smiled reassuringly. "I appreciate that, Kaname-san. Take care."

Homura on her part just nodded shortly and went to leave. It was time to return to class

 **. . .**

"Now why exactly am I bothering with you?"

This was definitely not how she expected her afternoon to be. Kyoko actually wanted to relax a bit... and now she had to play babysitter for a Witch. Not only did that make her senses tingle constantly because of the eldritch aura, this doll was also one of the talkative kind. The redhead understood this the moment Yuri left them alone.

Candeloro sat on the table in front of her, her head tilted and that strange price-tag bobbing up and down. "Is there something wrong? Can't we be friends, Kyoko?"

Especially this kind of behaviour was annoying. This thing sounded like Mami, but the blonde she remembered was at least not this imposing. She kept her distance, which this little abomination did not. It was like a child... a Witch that resembled a child... no wonder that it annoyed Kyoko so much: she hated little children. They were loud and never stopped bothering older people.

However, Yuri did her a favour by killing all these Witches, even when it was part of their deal. And Sakura Kyoko would not just let this stay between them. Even if it meant to watch over a baby-Witch.

The redhead shook the thought off and went to ignore Candeloro while eating. It did not matter what she produced out of her pocket; the Magical Girl just ripped off the wrapper and started to chew on it.

As it turned out, she got a Taiyaki. Waffles in form of a fish... not the worst thing she had in there.

The Witch noticed that Kyoko was not paying attention to her babbling after a while. At first she puffed up her whole head again and turned away, which was fine. After that however, she started to poke the redhead with the tip of her arm. First in the shoulder and not very strong. "Are you ignoring me?"

Kyoko just kept on eating and did not respond. Maybe the Witch would get the message and leave her alone.

"Answer me, please!"

The poking became a bit stronger and now the other ribbon joined in; this one was aiming for the redhead's side. However, she just continued to munch on her snack with her eyes closed. Just why was it so difficult to keep her face expressionless right now?

Then the slight touches stopped for a moment and a few pieces of yarn fell down from Candeloro's face. "You're mean, Kyoko. I'll tell Lilly!"

Now this was a threat, however childish, that the redhead pondered for a moment. Would Yuri say something about this? Most likely not, seeing that the other eldritch being was just as annoyed by the doll as she was. Thus, it was still no problem to ignore the attempts. Kyoko did not mind being mean, she did not even care. In fact, the Magical Girl preferred that approach with every child that bothered her. She could not just hit them because that would have led to consequences. Besides, there was at least the smallest part of her former self remaining; the part that told her that hitting a child, one that never had the chance to learn to defend itself, was a no-go.

Still, this Witch really stretched her patience with that constant poking before. And then the wet sound of cloth hitting flesh echoed through the room. Kyoko's head shot to the side and she felt a stinging sensation in her cheek.

"Answer me!"

 _That's it._

She took the doll by surprise... and her thin waistline. She wiggled in her hand for a moment while Kyoko glared down at her. She could bear with the poking, but getting bitch-slapped by a little doll was unacceptable. Candeloro had become quiet from surprise and her aura jumped a little.

"Okay, you little brat. That's it, you crossed the line. Get the hell outta here or I kill you."

They stared at each other for a good five seconds, neither blinking nor changing their expressions. Then the eldritch being responded in a cheerful tone: "You reacted! I'm glad!"

Following that... the strangest thing she ever saw happened: Candeloro's lower body diffused into threads of cloth that quickly unwound and were pulled into the upper body. All the while, the doll wound her arms around the redhead's back; once she was done unwinding her lower half, she just pulled it through the small gap Kyoko's hand formed due to grasping what she thought was the doll's spine. As it turned out, it was not. This being had no spine. She went back into her original shape once out of the Magical Girl's grasp and pulled herself in to hug her. Kyoko was so dumbfounded that she did not even react to it.

"We're friends now!"

 _What the hell..._


	42. Spear and Ribbons II

Good news! Now that I am done writing this story, I can finally move back to weekly updates.

* * *

 _Okay... that's weird._

Kyoko was not really sure how exactly it happened... but now she stood on a roof top with a certain doll sitting on her shoulder. Candeloro held her head a bit higher than usual and steadied herself using the ribbons that were her arms. Additionally, her legs wound around the redhead's shoulder and connected under her armpit, thus rooting the Witch firmly in place.

Having this being touch her like that felt really strange. Kyoko could sense the eldritch energy coursing through this small body, could feel the power she actually had. It was not as much as she could feel from Yuri's aura, but still considerable... especially because the doll already told her that she was just a week old. On the other hand, the other eldritch being mentioned Witches not growing that old, so a week might already be a good time.

 _Still... how did she get me to hang out with her?_

First Kyoko ignored the baby, then she got slapped and hugged... why did she not just transform and finish the Dress-Up Witch? Maybe because Yuri might give her a beating for that. On the other hand, she never met any being like this one before; and while the redhead would never admit it to anyone, it did feel nice to get a hug after such a long time. It did not change her views or something like that, but the Magical Girl was still touched. Even when it was a barely human-shaped doll that just wound a lot of ribbons around her, the gesture was all the same. To her, that was.

"It's that way!"

Yellow cloth pointed and Kyoko turned around. She could not really sense whether what Candeloro said was true, seeing that the doll's own aura made everything in the distance fuzzy. There could be a Witch around the next corner and she would not know it. Although that was fine, seeing that the eldritch being on her shoulder took over the searching.

"Are you sure you're fine with that?"

She had to ask again before starting to move. She just suggested going on a hunt on a whim... and mostly because she quickly needed something to beat up. Never would the redhead have expected her... 'companion' to accept the proposal. Yuri was out there right now, but still...

"It's fine. Lilly won't mind."

Besides, this might be a chance to get her hands on some informations. This Homura-chick and the other Witch were tight-lipped over what they wanted, but this doll could talk a lot. Kyoko just had to be careful when listening to her; shame that she had to be patient to begin with.

There was one thing she pieced together by herself; Yuri mentioned a few things that made Kyoko believe in having uncovered at least this: she was wary of Kyubey. Not just like any sane Witch should be, but far more than that. As if there were facts she did not want brought up anywhere where the furball could be.

Okay, this was by far no astonishing revelation, but Kyoko could at least guess what to do with Candeloro because of it; she would wait until they actually entered a barrier before asking. That should do the trick, seeing that Kyubey's annoying habit of appearing anywhere at any time was not extended to the eldritch realms.

At least Kyoko hoped for that. She was curious by now... and even considered going to Mitakihara just like Yuri asked her to do.

 _Not going to happen like that, sister. I'm gonna find out whether you want me to or not._

And she would do it on her own conditions. If that actually worked, she could definitely rub it in the older Witch's face afterwards.

A long jump brought her away from the rooftop they used for orientation; the redhead slightly bent her body to get an easier standing once she landed, feeling the weak impact of her feet on the concrete of another building. She used the momentum from the jump to accelerate more quickly, taking another leap and closing in on their target. Neither of them spoke, though Candeloro squealed in joy during the times they sailed through the air. Somehow, her glee was taking a hold of Kyoko as well and she smirked when taking the next jump. All the while, there was a ribbon indicating where to go, just like a marker.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The journey was surprisingly short. They reached the barrier in a good fifteen minutes; the redhead needed somewhere between half an hour and three hours when she was searching by herself, so that was a really nice time.

However, the ribbons around Kyoko's shoulder suddenly pressed harder and the Witch they belonged to shuddered. "We have to be careful, Kyoko... this one is a really old Witch. I can feel it... she knows that Lilly is destroying our kin in this city... she prepares to leave."

Which made sense, seeing that they were in the outskirts of Kazamino. How did this particular one get away from Yuri for so long?

"Any idea how she missed out on that one?"

Candeloro just shrugged and scratched her price-tag. "Sorry... Lilly said that she combs through the city systematically, starting in the outskirts and working her way into the center. Maybe this one hid in the center of town and moved towards here last night?"

This would make a bit more sense, especially because the redhead had not been hunting for the last week... on the other hand, where did this creature come from and where did it hide before?

"Doesn't matter. You ready?"

They stood right in front of the barrier and looked at each other. Lancer and doll exchanged a glance and the latter nodded. "I am."

 _Strange day, really..._

Here she was, having thought about wasting the day away for a change but an hour ago; now she was on the hunt, with a Witch of her own to watch her back. There were very few ways for this to become any stranger. She raised her Soul Gem and transformed without waiting for Candeloro to leave her place; thus, she almost hit the eldritch being while placing the shaft of her spear on her shoulder.

The Witch quickly catched it with one of her arms before it slapped her face, though. "Hey! You almost hit me!"

Her companion quickly let go and scurried over to the right shoulder, where she rooted herself again. Kyoko just smirked. "You're fast enough not to get hit, so what?"

Besides, she had been hit before as well. Were it not for her faster regeneration, Kyoko might have had a heavy bruise from that for at least a week. Was that little one not aware of how strong she was?

The redhead made a single sweep with her spear and cut open the entrance into the barrier. There was no one around, so they could go.

Entering surprised her a little bit, though; a badly drawn street under her feet and something that might be a highway above, with dark sky in the distance was what they found inside, although the latter was partly illuminated by a hail of flying orbs shining in all kinds of colours. The doll on her shoulder squealed again and continued to stare.

On her second glance, Kyoko noticed that those lights came from a city a bit in the distance. The windows of skyscrapers were what shone so bright. Seeing that gave her the feeling that she saw it before. Had she been in a barrier like this one already? It was hard to tell, she never cared much for the background when killing a Witch...

"Gisela, the Silver Witch. She reigns this place and her army is strong. They already know we're here, Kyoko... I'm sorry, that's my fault."

The doll slightly deflated, though the redhead just shrugged and took her spear with both hands. "What's done is done. Let's get this over with."

Of course she knew that this would not go as smoothly as she expected or made it sound, but she did understand that her companion was inexperienced. If the veteran of the group showed signs of uncertainty, that would not help her at all. Besides, Kyoko would not let any Witch get her; she had a few aces up her sleeve after all.

A look to the side had the redhead pause, though. Candeloro's arms were no longer ribbons; they formed into the barrels of guns... the very same kind Mami preferred.

 _Okay. That's one coincidence too much._

Besides of that, she already became suspicious when she heard that this being tried to use 'Tiro Finale', which was the name of said blonde's finishing technique. Yuri even said that Witch and Magical Girl were somehow connected. However, Candeloro seemed comfortable where she was, seeing that she was still there. The remainder of her arms served to turn the barrels almost everywhere without the need to move the rest of her body.

In other words... a living turret sat on her shoulder.

 _What a weird one..._

Kyoko thought the big Witches to be strange, but this might be even more disturbing. Maybe because one never saw the small ones as a threat...

"Hey, you."

While the redhead called out to the Witch, she carefully started to move down the road; in the direction of where the doll's arms were still pointing. "Hm? Oh, just call me Candel. Everyone does!"

So that settled that. Seeing that the eldritch being already went to call her Kyoko, there was nothing else to say about this. She did not particularly mind or care.

"Alright. So, Candel... you know some girl called Tomoe Mami?"

In fact, she knew that the doll did already. Yuri left no doubt about that when her lookalike appeared in Kazamino a few days ago. However, this might be a better start.

"Of course I know Mami! She's my sister, just like Homura is Lilly's sister."

While the cheerful voice stopped, Kyoko's eyes widened slightly. Mami had no sister; especially not a Witch. Just what happened in Mitakihara?

She could not just ask... actually... why could she not?

"Huh... last time I checked, she had no sister. Mind telling me what happened?"

This was as good an attempt as any. Before Candel managed to respond though, something roaring came their way; it looked like a small tornado, completely black and with small pieces of metal lodged into it. Also, it had glowing eyes that were directed at them.

"Okay, here it co-whoa!"

A loud bang right next to her ear... and the sudden recoil sent Kyoko stumbling. The bullet lodged itself right between the eyes of the minion; it roared louder and hovered closer while the redhead regained her footing.

"Oi, what're you doing?! Warn me next time, damn it!"

"Sorry!... I'm shooting again!"

The shot already rang out on the last word and by now, the Magical Girl could guess where this was going. She sighed and rammed her spear into the ground in order to gain a more stable position. Candel aimed and shot a few more times, the last one splintering the right eye of the creature that had been thrown backwards by the force hammering into it. It screeched and dissolved at last.

After seeing that it was gone and no others were around, the spear was dislodged from the concrete. Candel scratched the back of her head and started to muse. "Hm... Maybe the eyes are weak points? It would be disturbing if each of them needed five bullets to die... brr, I would lose so many ribbons..."

While the doll spoke mostly to herself, a barely audible sound found its way into Kyoko's ear. She heard it before when the Witch shot at the minion; was that her reloading her arms?

However, there was something the redhead was certain about by now. This creature confirmed it.

"Yup, the eyes are the weak points. Just aim for those."

She knew this barrier. She walked through it before... a long, long time ago.

 _But how's that possible?! I killed this one..._

Especially since the doll said it to be a really old Witch.

"You fought something like them before?"

A curious stare was given to the redhead, who nodded slightly and continued to move. "Not something like them. I was in this barrier before... and I killed the Witch inside."

Silver Witch her ass. That thing was just a living junkyard.

"Huh... so... since she is so old... maybe you fought a Familiar that turned into a copy of hers before?"

She nodded again. This was the most likely explanation. "Might be... oh _great_."

The redhead just saw a larger group of those minions hovering their way. Candeloro looked around and held her arms in front of her face. "Ohhh... my arms will melt again..."

To hear something like that, especially in Mami's sad voice... Kyoko shook her head and raised her spear. "Just take down that smaller group to the right. I'll take care of the main group."

"Okay."

Now the ribbons around her shoulder let go and the Witch separated from the Magical Girl. The latter smirked and raised her spear at the swarm of minions that continued to howl as it drew closer. "Ready for a beating, scum?"

 **. . .**

Kyoko threw herself into battle with the ease of a veteran. However, Candel could not stand and watch as she would have liked to, seeing that she had a few minions to take down herself. They still looked a bit scary, though...

 _Don't think like that, Candeloro! Lilly said that you're strong! Homura said it, too!_

Neither of them could be wrong and even if they were... this particular being would become something she was not if her friends thought that she was.

The barrels rose and focussed on the closest minion; it was still a dozen meters away, but that was not far in a magical realm. Her arms heated up and a shot rang out, then another. Two bullets lodged themselves into the sockets where the eyes were a moment before; this prompted the creature to roar in pain and dissolve.

The eyes really were their weak point.

 _One done, four remain._

Her uneasiness was swept away and the Dress-Up Witch calmly examined the situation while relocating and reloading her weapons. The soft clicking of another bullet rolling into the chamber was audible to her alone; she kept her senses up all around just in case something tried to attack from behind.

Then Candeloro jumped upwards and took aim; the recoil of her shots sent her a bit higher every time while another two minions died. The remaining pair looked up and seemed to wonder about what to do. Seeing that they were just tornadoes, they could not jump after her. They made no attempt to expand, either... this meant that they had a fixed size.

The doll landed on her spiralling legs as usual, bouncing upwards a few more times. These few seconds were used to undo her right arm and reload the left one; her ribbons were already starting to ache from the heat, but Candel could not stop yet. She quickly shook the one arm that was loose to cool it down.

 _How is Kyoko doing?_

A glance to the side showed her that the Magical Girl was impailing one of the minions with her spear just now. The small crowd of black figures around her might be half as big as it was in the beginning.

Candel had to admire how precise and effective the redhead worked. It resembled Mami's calm way of fighting quite a bit.

 **. . .**

There had not been any loud bangs from Candeloro for a while now. Kyoko had no time to check on her, though. Besides, if this Witch could not take five minions by herself, she was no good anyway.

The Magical Girl smirked and had the segments of her spear break open. This fight went far too long anyway. A few quick movements of her wrists sent all the chains and other extensions flying around, forming a storm of magically reinforced steel.

The minions still around her were ripped apart, which only brought another smirk on her face.

In one fluid motion, Kyoko flicked her wrists again and the segments went back together from their rampage through this part of the barrier. The ground did not get a single hit, but these metal beams holding the highway had two huge dents. Whoops.

Seeing that there was no imminent danger anymore, the redhead turned her gaze towards the direction she sensed the doll in... and found her just finishing off the last minion of the group she took over.

 _What a slowpoke..._

This Witch needed so long for a small bunch of minions?

However, Kyoko would not comment on that. She just rolled her eyes and went over to where she stood. "What took you so long?"

"Hm? Oh, you're done already... Sorry..."

The doll looked at her arms and sighed before turning her head upwards. "I'm still figuring out how to use them properly. I can't just summon hundreds like Mami does; and when I just shoot as fast as I can, my arms melt and it hurts really bad..."

Now that was quite the pickle... Kyoko's annoyance vanished in an instant. It was one thing if that doll was just too dumb to fight properly; but if her abilities came with such drawbacks, she could not hold that against her. She was fair enough to understand that.

Candeloro had her head lowered and gingerly rubbed her arms against each other; the rustling of cloth filled the air, but there were no minions around right now. The redhead sighed and patted her shoulder. "Come on, hop up. We've got to go."

"Huh? Yay!"

The initial second of surprise went by before the Witch returned to where she was before and nestled herself against the Magical Girl's shoulder... or rather she straddled it, at least from how it looked like.

She had to remember that this was not a human being, really... the ambiguous comment died in Kyoko's throat before she even started to voice it.

She went to walk down the road after Candeloro indicated her where to go; as she went however, the redhead made a demanding gesture. "We've got some time now. Show me one of those."

There was nothing wrong with looking after all. Maybe she noticed something interesting... or something she could use in case they turned on her. The doll complied quietly for a change, extending her left arm far enough so that the barrel was floating right in front of Kyoko's face.

Her steps became slower out of habit because she was distracted a bit. Keeping some part of her mind occupied with listening for strange noises besides the sound of cars in the distance, the Magical Girl put a hand on the metal casing; the material was just as she remembered it. However, this barrel was a bit shorter than the rifles Mami used; it just went two thirds of the way and turned into a lump of ribbons before there was even a trigger.

 _Strange design... but she can just shoot mentally, so..._

There were no obvious design flaws with that, at least none she could see. However, Kyoko never really learned how that kind of thing worked; she could not tell if there were any less obvious flaws with it. The only thing that might be strange was this lump the barrel grew out of, so she pointed at that. "What're you doing with that?"

"Huh? This?"

The lump wiggled a bit and after the redhead nodded -while being amazed at how flexible those ribbons were-, the Witch slowly retracted a layer of cloth. Now Kyoko could see what was inside, which was... interesting.

For one, she found the end of the barrel; it was right there, shortly after entering that part of Candeloro's arm. Additionally, the metal seemed to grow out of the surrounding ribbons, which were folded; if she managed to push her head inside, Kyoko might actually be able to look through the barrel. She decided not to try that, though.

However, tilting her head slightly allowed the girl to at least peek inside, where she found a yellow orb the size of an eye sitting firmly in place. That was the bullet, obviously. However, there was also a small, glowing orb right behind it, held in place by four yellow threads. The redhead carefully touched that one, but nothing happened; however, she could feel the heat in this little chamber. It was quite a bit warmer within than outside of it; without being used before, that was.

 _Hm..._

This was one of the very few moments Kyoko was unhappy with her decision to stay ignorant of such things. It would be nice to be able to understand what was going on with this beings' weapons.

"Um... Kyoko? That tickles..."

"Huh? Ah, 'kay."

She left the barrel alone and retracted her hand. Of course, it was still a part of Candel's body; it should be no surprise that the Witch still felt something there.

 _Well... is there anything else?_

There was just a smaller metal bar on the other side of the lump, exactly opposite to the barrel. However... this one was a bit sharpened and glowed red. What was it for?

"Hey... Candel? What d'you do with that?"

She slightly tapped the metal and could feel the heat increase; there she had the source... but this was by far not enough to melt those sturdy ribbons, right?

"Um... wait, let me see..."

The barrel rolled a bit to the side, thus pulling the spike away from her index finger. Candel looked inside herself and tilted her head. "Uh... I... never really thought about it. But I think I move it forward..."

She turned it back to Kyoko, who looked down and recalled what she knew about gunpowder. She never paid much attention to it, but she saw some movies in the past... and she recalled Mami's rifles to have an extension that was glowing hot as well. The shot would only be fired after those touched down. So maybe this was similar?

"Mhm... Y'know what? Leave it open like that and shoot something. Doesn't matter what, I just want to see how it works."

Now she was curious as well. What would happen?

The doll looked around and finally pointed the weapon at one of the steel beams holding the highway. The Magical Girl had stopped walking to make aiming easier and continued to peek into this chamber. She never got a chance to find out how Mami's rifles worked... and actually never really cared. However, Yuri's mentionings of examining magic made her wonder what was so interesting about it. Now she understood, she thought.

 _Nothing I could do all day long... but this one is kinda fun._

It was a bit like working on a puzzle; piecing together what worked and discarding what did not.

"Okay. Are you ready, Kyoko?"

"Go for it."

The redhead smirked over the situation. Who would have thought this to happen just two hours ago?

However, her expression did not even manage to change completely before it already happened: one moment there was just the contraption like it was before... then the spike shot forward and pierced this glowing orb in front of the bullet. This one directly exploded in the same yellow light it had been emanating before, just a lot brighter; with it came a gust of fire sprouting out of the chamber, though. Fire that hit her right in the face.

"Argh!"

She barely managed to close her eyes on time... and even that was mostly because of the blinding light; a moment later, Kyoko felt the sensation of the flames on her skin.

The heat quickly vanished, but it left the smell of burned hair and a stinging feeling on her cheeks and forehead. The Magical Girl clasped her hands in front of her face and fell down on her rear. A mere reflex had sent her stumbling away from the fire.

"Huh? Oh no! Are you alright?!"

The Witch quickly let go of the redhead's shoulder and she could sense her darting around the tattered human. "Oh no, oh no! I'm so sorry! Does it hurt badly? Let me see!"

Like a mother hen... which was something Kyoko disliked a lot. However, she could guess that Candel would not just leave her alone... and besides, she wanted to find out how severe the damage was herself. It barely hurt, but still...

"It's fine, so stop running around."

The hands were lowered slowly and the lancer opened her eyes. Everything alright with her field of vision. However... she could not directly see her own face. Kyoko sighed and took her Soul Gem from her collarbone. It was the slightest bit tainted, but that was to be expected by now. The red crystal reflected her appearance, though, even when it was difficult to make out anything clear from how small it was.

On the other hand, Candel had her arms clutched on her face and was crying yarn again. "Oh no... I burned away your eyebrows..."

 _Huh? She did what?_

When she heard that, the Magical Girl's hand quickly wandered to the place where they should be... and found only crispy mush there. The skin tickled from being touched and when she lowered her arm, a blackish red paste was smeared on it. Not much... but it was obvious that this was what remained of the hairs there.

"Ah, don't worry! Your magic should make them grow back in no-time!"

The doll was startled and waved her arms back and forth in an attempt to sound reassuring... actually, this might have looked cute coming from Mami; this way however, it was simply irritating. Kyoko just waved it off and sighed before wiping her hand with the hem of her skirt. Once she dispelled the outfit, the dirt would be gone as well. "Whatever..."

She could not even blame Candeloro for what happened; it was the Magical Girl that told her to do all of this after all. Thus, her gaze wandered back down at the slowly calming Witch. "Which way?"

However, her reaction prompted silence and a slightly tilted head. "Um... you're... not angry with me?"

So that was what she was concerned about? Okay, it made sense at least... but still, the redhead considered this her own fault for not being careful enough. She knew that gunpowder was meant to blow up.

"Don't worry, Candel. I told you to show me, so it wasn't your fault."

 _This time at least_ , the Magical Girl added mentally while thinking back at the slap she was given earlier. She shook her head, waited until her companion hopped onto her shoulder again and started to walk. What just happened simply added to the reasons for which she wanted to beat something up. However, the Witch that she knew lived in this barrier was focussing on defense... which meant that it would take a while to go down.

Kyoko's smirk had her canine show. The longer they stood, the more she could beat them.

 **. . .**

She figured that it was better to be quiet for a while. Lilly told her that constant chattering might be inappropriate sometimes. Besides that, the doll had to concentrate on sensing Gisela properly. The other Witch was sending a lots of threats their way and something might happen soon.

However, she made an interesting discovery before: there was barely any heat when she left an open end at the backside of the barrel. With the fire bursting out, her ribbons did not need to contain it by themselves.

 _Hm... Lilly uses fire as well. Maybe I could create something like her breath attack?_

She still lacked something for fighting on close quarters after all. Just hitting with her ribbons might not always be enough... however, she would ask her fellow Witch first.

Additionally, the fact that Kyoko was now her friend as well sent Candel in a state of overflowing happiness.  
She found a lot of friends lately; and the number would only increase!


	43. Spear and Ribbons III

_So much for my schedule..._

Lilly was not sure what to make of this. She left her fellow Witch with Kyoko to have her out of the way and now she found that the two just went out to hunt. She realised this because the barrier she stood in front of had a different scent to it. It belonged to Gisela, the Silver Witch... but there was another note mixed in. The unmistakable scent of a Magical Girl wandering this labyrinth.

And on top of that, she could sense Candeloro inside as well. Her presence was not that strong, but sufficient to be found. The actual owner's aura drowned out most of it, though. Only very few might be capable to even notice.

Still, what to do? Her swipe of the eastern fringe of the city was complete and this was the only place where there were still Witches around. One or two Familiars fled through the center of town, but she could track them down later on.

Now here she stood, with two fools ruining her schedule. Mortal World's Witch sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

 _Really..._

She did not expect them to come out here, especially not both of them. On the other hand... this would be a chance to wipe the board clean if she so desired... but then again, that was not necessary. Everything progressed just like she wanted it to. No need to rush a decision or do something stupid.

However, her sessions of burning her kin to death gave Lilly a lot of time to think lately. She recalled what she spoke about with Kyubey in the last timeline, her own musings and everything connected to it.

As the Witch that observed, the one to hide in the shadows... who was she? Where would she go and what did she want?

These questions were difficult to answer, Lilly found. She knew she was spacing out, but to hell with it. Kyoko and Candel would cost her about an hour of time anyway. What did it even matter when time was something she had so much of?

However, was she really Homulilly? Born by cheating around the rules of her kind, living besides the one destined to become her... the eldritch being wondered about that before; was it really her Grief Seed that grew within Homura's soul? What was in there now? Could her sister still fall into despair? Would another Homulilly spawn from that? Would the Soul Gem simply shatter?

Lilly knew nothing about any of this. She dreaded to find out as well. To find out that she was but a copy of the true Mortal World's Witch.

The mere thought had her go to her knees. No one could see anyway.

 _Should I... even be alive? Am I... more Akemi Yuri than Homulilly? I..._

The thoughts were creeping back from the depths of her mind. Lilly knew what kind of being she was; she knew it very well. But if she could not even be a real Witch... what exactly was she? A hybrid between both races?

The train of thought began to derail with images of the things she saw throughout her life. She saw tearful faces and smiles, embarassment and hatred... everything the human mind was capable of. It rotated in front of her mind's eye and her hand began to itch.

"Why... why can't I be more collected?"

The slight trickle of tears running down her cheeks made her aware that she was crying, yet the human-shaped Witch did not care. Her field of vision was slightly fuzzy due to the liquid, but she just sat down and looked at the sky.

"I can't stay among humans, for they disgust me... but all I remember is how they behave, how they feel. I understand them so well, yet I hate them. It makes no sense."

Which pieced itself together to a statement in her mind, something that had her shiver violently. Lilly's heart erupted in eldritch might and began to beat faster.

 _So completely... utterly human..._

She was just like them, yet insisted to be different. Why was it that she could not be different? Lilly had no idea. She just sat there and cried silently. A weeper never to be known to the world around her.

However, with the sadness came anger. And with the anger... came understanding.

 **. . .**

"Ahh!"

"What the...?! Candel, get off!"

With a sudden scream, the doll had reformed her rifles back to ribbons and wound them tightly around Kyoko. The redhead tried to at least loosen the grasp, but to no avail. The Witch would not budge... and she was shaking.

"K-Kyoko... there's s-something outside. I can't tell because of all the different scents in here... but it is strong... and angry... Gisela knows, too. She's shaking."

When the Magical Girl paused and looked around, she saw that it was true: their surroundings became slightly fuzzy, unfocussed for mere moments... and the small group of minions she had been moving towards fled in every possible direction. Just what was happening...

 **. . .**

Bones.

 _I see it now._

Bare bones were pressed onto the concrete, the tips digging inside. A small puddle of black fluids had formed around it, sitting perfectly still.

Lilly slowly raised her arm and looked at her hand as if she saw it for the first time. Which was true in some sense; she never caught an actual glimpse of her real body before.

The completely white fingers moved just like any fingers would, up and down, clenched into a fist... No flesh, no veins, no nothing. Just bones. It felt so good to be free of it.

 _I see._

The surge of anger that coursed through her body slowly subsided, making place for amazement over what she found out. She should be horrified, but the mere knowledge of some part of her true self lying beneath this human body filled her with joy. Once her emotions started to return to normal however, flesh started to grow back and cover her hand. It tickled.

Just as she understood it right now. The more uncontrollable she allowed herself to be, the more of her actual body would be released.

A giggle escaped her and broke the silence. Tears and anger were forgotten. She was happy.

 _How didn't I realise this sooner? This is what it means to be a sane Witch: balancing between sanity and insanity, growing stronger by going closer to one's original state of mind..._

Of course she could not be different for as long as she tried to be completely sane. She could not be Homulilly without being her, which meant to follow her very unique trains of thought, to do things her very own way.

After all, there was one particular course of action she found to be rather promising. Turning her own thinking upside down could reveal quite a few interesting things. However, it would take time and careful planning to make this happen. A smile found its way onto Lilly's face.

Only then did she become aware of her surroundings... and paused in surprise. There were holes in the ground around her as well as the walls. A bit further down the alleyway, a lone pipe had been ripped out of the wall and was splashing water over the ground.

"Was that... me?"

The eldritch being quickly reviewed the energy she held onto right now and found that a portion of what she knew she had before was gone. That storm of anger apparently triggered an actual storm around her. At least no one seemed to have noticed, which was at least something. The black goo her flesh dissolved into earlier was gone as well and the hand itself looked completely human again.

Her moment of weakness was over. Maybe that was a part of her being as well... to lose control once in a while; to simply give in to her feelings and let them loose.

Lilly sighed and got to her feet, wiping dust off of her jeans while she did. Then she wiped a hand over her cheeks to get the slightly wet remains of her tears away. Her Grief Seed burned deep within herself, setting her on fire with the knowledge that yes, she was a Witch indeed.

"I might know nothing... but even if I don't, that is fine. I can find out."

She had all the time in the world once Walpurgis was finished. As her body was indeed not completely human in nature despite looking that way, she would not age. Just as the Magical Girls could control their own aging, so would she.

Everything was fine, she realised. Nothing happened yet and if she could make her plan work, it did not even matter what exactly she was: Homulilly would have prevailed against Kyubey; a feat none other achieved before.

The energy coursing through her body slowly trickled back into the black heart of Mortal World's Witch, bringing with it a slight bit of nausea. It worked better than just gulping all of it down at once; that was at least something. Her aura became weaker and ultimately vanished; however, Lilly did not believe for even a moment that the Incubator had not noticed. Now it knew for sure that she was a Witch.

On the other hand, what should she care? Homura already killed all the dangerous individuals around Mitakihara, Mami was with them and Kyoko on a good way. Now that Madoka was under good observation, there was only one obstacle left. She would take care of that right after returning to the city.

 **. . .**

"...Is it gone?"

She still had no idea of what happened outside, but the ribbons around her waist slowly relaxing told her that whatever it was, it was no longer there.

Kyoko was rather glad to be released out of this grasp; Candel really had a lot of strength and being squeezed like that... the redhead was lucky that none of her bones were broken.

"Um... I think so. I can't sense it anymore."

So whatever was there, it had gone somewhere else; hopefully into Yuri's arms so that she took care of it. The Magical Girl took a look around and shrugged. "Fine with me. You ready to continue?"

Their surroundings had stabilised and even the minions she saw appeared to have calmed down. Those were not trying to attack them yet, though. This was a good chance to gain some ground, so she got moving in a quick pace that was right between walking and running. The doll was still wrapped around her shoulder and would not fall off anyway.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

They made a good time... despite the fact that the lair of this Witch had been less than ten minutes of walking away from where they stopped before. Her companion watched the way they came while Kyoko quickly stabbed the lone minion to death that kept watch over the final corridor. When she came to stand at its end and looked down, she found a ramp leading downwards, right into a large junkyard. Amidst of it sat a black mass with metal parts of various origins sticking out of it. A single headlight was placed on top and shone on a pile of scrap metal right in front of the Witch.

 _Yup, just like I thought._

She fought this one before. She even remembered this smell of oil and rust most old places had at least one of. It was mixed together with the general aura of a Witch's barrier and gave the Magical Girl a slight headache already.

She tugged on Candel's arm and pointed at the ribbons around her shoulder. "Get off me and watch that path. I'll take care of this one myself."

"Huh? But..."

The redhead snarled at her companion, who stopped and quickly let go. She was seriously angry at this point and not hitting this doll became more difficult by the minute. It was time to relieve some stress.

Small lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile and Kyoko brandished her weapon before sliding down the ramp.

 **. . .**

Upon releasing her friend's shoulder, Candel quickly curled her legs back into shape and bounced back from the ground once. Then her stance steadied and she wondered for a moment... there were no minions nearby, all of them were left behind during the confusion. So in fact... she could just watch Kyoko fight, right? Lilly would definitely praise her if she noticed something interesting.

 _Lilly... I'm still not sure... was that you?_

This powerful aura that could even be felt inside of another barrier, something that screamed its anger out into the world... but Lilly was not an angry Witch, at least not a particular angry one. When they were in contact, Candel could sense a bit of the feelings coursing through the other eldritch being; however, she never felt anything that strong.

On the other hand, Gisela might be the last Witch in Kazamino besides Mortal World's Witch and her.

 _I should ask her later._

Whether this had been her friend or not, Candel was worried; could so much anger really be in this human-shaped being? Yes, Lilly schemed all the time and was mean and gloated and displayed her pride... but she was never really angry. Annoyance was the strongest feeling the doll saw and sensed from her so far. And if this really was her being angry... what for? Lilly did not become mad for no reason.

The sound of magically created steel clashing against the very same material made her realise that the battle started; thus, the Dress-Up Witch quickly turned around to watch... the slaughter.

Kyoko was an ace with her spear indeed; the chains whirled through the room and around each other smoothly, giving off the impression of an elaborate dance. The Magical Girl stood amidst the storm of raging steel that slowly leveled her surroundings to dust, conducting it with a smirk and the simplest movements of her hands around the shaft. Gisela jumped backwards and was observing the maiming typhoon, obviously wondering what to do.

Then the Silver Witch raised one of her arms to take up a wrecked car and threw it at the redhead. Candel watched in awe over seeing both such an old Witch fight and Kyoko unleash more of her actual strength. She never noticed how powerful the Magical Girl actually was. Now she saw, when a chain-link barrier rose out of the ground right in front of the lancer and caught the projectile. The sound of scrap metal smashing into red steel echoed through the whole lair and Kyoko quickly jumped upwards, using a few other piles as jumping pads. The redhead rose to the sky and had the segments return to her spear before directing it at the Witch below. Gisela did not just sit around, though: she threw another two cars and pressed her arms to the ground, ducking as she did.

 _Can I be this strong as well?_

The question presented itself quite naturally, seeing that Lilly counted on her strength. However, she also noticed that there was something coming right now. Looking behind herself, the doll found another two minions roaring her way, either attracted by the noise or because Gisela called them.

Whatever the reason for their appearance, the Dress-Up Witch quickly shot them both down, the sound of her own rifles adding into the mix of crushed steel and something heavy crashing into the ground. That made her turn around again, only to see Kyoko's spear rammed into one of the remaining piles. The redhead stood on the tip of it's pole, both of her heels barely on it because of how small it was. However, she held her balance and continued to look at a screen of dust that had risen from what Candel guessed was the Silver Witch trying to jump her opponent.

Before the dust settled however, Gisela jumped again with a low grumbling, flying right at the Magical Girl with a speed one would not expect her to have. However, a large spear -it's head at least seven meters long, thus a bit longer than a third of the Silver Witch's whole length- erupted from the pile Kyoko stood on, ramming right into her body and propelling her in the other direction.

 _That was not a fatal hit..._

Witches could take a lot. She knew that very well not only from her own knowledge, but also from the fight with Quitterie. However, Kyoko seemed to be aware of that as well: she jumped off her last weapon and had it disappear, summoning another spear in her hand at the same time. This time however, the redhead landed on one of the piles closest to the area she previously leveled; this was also where her large spear sent Gisela flying at. The Witch was in the process of getting up again, her head shining less bright than before. Some of the metal bars that grew out of her body were now bent or broken and her body seemed to dissipate. Was she trying to do something?

Candeloro could not really guess what was to come, seeing that a strong, red light emanating from the Magical Girl distracted her. There was a scary amount of power surging through whatever attack Kyoko wanted to use now... this was the fatal blow she expected to come far earlier.

 _But... I thought she had no ranged attacks..._

The girl did not change her position, so she stood a good thirty meters away from where Gisela seemed to reform. Before the Witch was done with that however, a beam of pure red erupted from her opponents speartip and cut her in half. The whole lair shook from the enormous power and Candel was really glad that Kyoko was her friend. She would not use something like that against her.

 **. . .**

When the redhead landed on the contorting ground and brandished her spear again before resting it on her shoulder, she was really pleased with herself. That worked out better than expected; okay, her first match with this thing had been far worse, but she clearly dominated the rematch.

"Take that and _stay_ dead this time!"

She said it towards the Grief Seed she found lying on the concrete right in front of her... only then did the Magical Girl notice the hole it fell into. Not deep, maybe a few centimeters... but it looked as if something really, really heavy stepped there.

"Oh... what happened here? it didn't look like this when we went inside..."

The doll's words had her look around warily; what she saw made her eyebrows rise a little bit. There were dents and small holes everywhere in this part of the alleyway. One of the pipes further down the road was ripped off the wall as well. However, there was no obvious perpetrator in sight.

 _'If you wonder, this was done by Akemi Yuri... as you call her. From what I could observe, she had a breakdown of some kind.'_

The annoying voice in her head was familiar at once. Seeing how the Witch next to her leg flinched, Kyoko figured that she heard it as well. Looking around, the Magical Girl found Kyubey sitting in the middle of the walkway, the afternoon sun casting a shadow several times his height in their way. She could not see his expression because of how he sat, although there was most likely nothing to see anyway. The redhead just snarled at the cat-like being and ignored the ribbons that wound around her calf. Was Candel really afraid of him?

"Thought I told you to leave me alone?"

He tilted his head slightly... or maybe that should be a nod? She could not really tell. Whatever it was, the follow-up made her think: _'You did, Kyoko. However, the fact that there are two irregular Witches wandering Kazamino, one of them even in human shape, brought me here. You can't blame me for being curious, right?'_

 _Oh? So does that mean he has no idea? Speaking of which..._

Her lips curled into a smile once the redhead realised just what kind of opportunity she had here. She completely forgot to ask her companion about all of this, so now...

"So? Care to tell me what you found out?"

It could not hurt to try and besides, messing with this thing was always fun; maybe she could finally repay the favour of ruining her family. Which Kyoko still partly blamed on him.

Kyubey just tilted his head a bit more and got to his feet, walking closer. The redhead disspelled her attire and carefully took up the Dress-Up Witch. But where to put her?

The question answered itself in some way, seeing that Candel quickly wiggled out of her grasp, pulled herself over Kyoko's shoulder and pressed her small body against the Magical Girl's back with the ribbons winding tightly around her stomach. Not unbearable, but still...

"Oi, Candel... Let..."

However, the Witch only pressed herself closer against her and she suddenly felt something else from her. A blazing feeling besides the eldritch aura... but she had no idea what it meant. Was that fear?

 _Is she so scared of Kyubey? Why?_

She would find out later. Right now, the redhead could only sigh and shake her head. Yuri owed her dinner for that. And breakfast... and another lunch, while she was at it.

 _'While I don't particularly mind telling you, I have to admit that there isn't much I can say for sure yet. What I do know is that Akemi Yuri, whatever her actual name might be, was spawned by Akemi Homura's Soul Gem without the former dying in the process. Candeloro, who is currently hiding behind your back, came to exist in the very same fashion from Mami's Soul Gem. I could only observe the latter process, but I can confirm that the Grief Seed is genuine.'_

Now her eyes narrowed. There were a few things in this explanation that she did not like. Additionally, she felt Candel's arms tightening a bit more when her name was called. Kyoko slowly took a few steps closer to the creature and crouched to stare at it, wary red meating blank red. "And why, for god's sake, was there a Witch in Mami's Soul Gem?"

He blinked and tilted his head slightly; the white tail stopped moving and was pressed on the ground. _'Seeing that every Soul Gem becomes a Grief Seed upon being filled to the brim with despair, this particular part of the process followed normal parameters. What is unusual in this case is that Mami's gem was far from being so tainted and that it did not shatter in the process. It is quite the...'_

He did not finish the sentence because a hand found its way around his neck and he was lifted into the air, meeting a shocked and angry stare. Kyoko had been tensing up over his words and snapped at him now: "What. Was. That?"

He said that all of them would become Witches in the end? Something like that was never mentioned before, she never even...

 _'Actually, we found it rather fitting that those whom we call Magical Girls will eventually grow into Witches.'_

Before either of them could do anything however -Kyoko was still too shocked from what she just learned and Kyubey did not react- a ribbon gently wound itself around the hand holding the creature. Then another one followed, wrapping around the cat-like being's waist; when exactly did Candel let go of her? Whenever she did, now the doll stood right next to her instead of hiding from Kyubey. She had no real eyes... or any other facial features really. So the only indicator for what she wanted to do came from her voice... which was surprisingly cold all of a sudden.

"...I don't like that."

The cloth easily undid Kyoko's grasp and the creature was enveloped a bit further; then the doll had her arms bring him face to face with her. "Kyoko is my friend. I won't allow you to hurt her. Leave us... alone!"

On the last word, the ribbons were slung backwards, then forwards and let go, thus sending him flying and splashing into the next wall; instead of crashing into it however, the body exploded into white crumps upon impact.

This action surprised her a bit; it had been a long time since anyone actually watched out for her... and it was strangely touching, even when it came from a Witch. Still, to know that she would end up the same way one day... that was a real downer.

 _So... I'll live for as long as I can... then I die and become one of them..._

That was a vicious cycle and at this very moment, her father's words about not cutting a deal with the devil returned to Kyoko's concious memory. He had been right all along when calling her a Witch...

Still, it did not matter.

Fire awoke deep within the Magical Girl's heart. She slowly rose to her feet and closed her eyes for a moment, clenching her hands to fists and relaxing them a few moments later. She would not let Kyubey have his way. He betrayed them big time, but she already knew that the moment she found her family dead.

 _Screw you, you rat._

She really learned too much for a day... and felt like lying down for a while. However, the faint touch of something on her head had the girl blink in confusion. Candeloro stood right in front of her, the spiralling legs unwound and stretched to their maximum; they now reached about a meter upwards, so that the doll's head was on about the same level as Kyoko's chest. Her arms were elongated and reached over her, gently stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko... Lilly said we shouldn't tell you yet, but I couldn't stop it... Now you're sad and that is my fault..."

The initial surprise of this Witch being so intimate was washed away. The redhead sighed and shook her head slightly, a faint smile finding its way onto her lips. It was nice to have someone, even when she always found it perfectly fine to be alone. In times like these... having a friend was a nice thing.

"It's fine. Just give me a few hours to freak out properly and everything'll get back to normal."

They stared at each other for a moment after that was said, then the doll slowly let go and curled her legs again, thus shrinking back to her actual size. "Okay... should we go back now?"

"Good idea..."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"So, who wrote that letter?"

They separated from Hitomi a while ago already, seeing that their friend had to attend additional classes once again. Now it was only her and Sayaka walking towards the music store. Madoka was still not sure how to tell her tomboyish friend what she learned, though; it was just so strange once one thought about it. And yet...

"Um... Akemi-san did... and Tomoe-san was there, too. I... I think I have a good grasp on what she told us last week now. But it sounds so strange, Sayaka-chan... I don't know how to explain..."

The blunette gave her a sideway glance that conveyed her curiousity, but then she shrugged. "Well... I guess I could just ask them myself, right?"

This was an option, yes... but Madoka was also not sure whether her friend should know about it to begin with. Both Magical Girls -she was told that the transfer student was one as well- made it perfectly clear how dangerous this job was. She knew her childhood friend, that was why the pinkette worried: Sayaka might throw herself at the chance to become a Magical Girl.

But what if a Witch attacked them later? What should they do then?

 _Oh... right, Mami-san said that I shouldn't worry about that... but... wait, isn't that them?_

Her gaze had been wandering while the girl thought about the situation, only to find two familiar figures not far away. They stood a bit to the side, with the blonde talking and the raven-haired one listening, nodding once in a while. Whatever they were discussing, Madoka could not stop wondering whether this was by chance or if they tried to be closeby in case she needed help. Anyway, it was a great help; she had no idea what to do right now.

Additionally, her pink orbs met the friendly yellow of the third-year, who cast a mildly surprised glance at her, then a knowing one at Madoka's new classmate. Following that, both of them turned their way and started walking.

 _Thank goodness, we're not interrupting anything important._

She would have felt bad if the other girls had to go out of their way because of them. Sayaka just noticed them as well and raised an eyebrow. "Now that's a coincidence."

That it was indeed... although the pinkette wondered what exactly brought them here. Well, she might find out soon enough.


	44. Spear and Ribbons IV

Once again, she was left wondering how this situation came to be. Kyoko sat on the bed of her hotel room and downed a can of juice before having it join the small pile of empty wrappers in one corner of the room. The sun was setting and after Yuri left in the afternoon, the redhead spent her time moping around for a while. The human-shaped Witch did not say anything when she left. Candel told her everything... and insisted on staying with the Magical Girl for today. The doll was busy exploring the adjacent rooms with childlike curiousity, gently touching everything around her. This Witch was even stranger than her raven-haired friend, seeing that she was absolutely unlike any of those eldritch beings Kyoko ever saw. Okay, she never saw a sane one before to begin with, but Yuri would at least have this distinctive air of malice. The lancer just did not mind at all because she was also an acceptable person... and with a good sense of humour, although most people might not agree with her on that one.

 _Still... why did she want to stay? I told her to leave me alone, but she just won't do it..._

It was irritating, to say the least. Somehow, she did not dislike that Witch despite her stupid character. Wanting to be friends with everyone... that was not just impossible, it was on a level of stupidity Kyoko could barely describe. On the other hand, though... she seemed to care a lot about the people she "befriended" before -and everyone who spoke to her for more than a minute apparently was a friend. So at least she was not that kind of hypocrite; Candel went through with what she said.

"Do you feel better now?"

The doll reached her bed again and looked up at the redhead, who just cast a nonchalant look back down and dropped on her back. "Somewhat. I'm still wondering why Yuri even allowed you to stay."

That was something else striking her as odd. Why would the other Witch put so much trust in Kyoko? They knew each other for a weak, so there was no telling if she... no, wait. That girl obviously knew Mami... but she had not spoken to the blonde for over a year. So maybe Yuri just gave her the benefit of the doubt?

 _Hey... that doll is Mami's Witch after all... If she's just half as strong, I don't even want to mess with her._

Kyubey stated it and both eldritch beings confirmed it: Witches were born from the despair of Magical Girls, their Soul Gems cracking and revealing the curses that swirled within. However, this also meant that nothing of the sort would happen for as long as the redhead kept an eye on her gem... her soul. Having that mentioned as well gave Kyoko's understanding of herself another blow. She actually considered just giving up for a moment there, but it passed without anything happening. There had been greater trouble she went through, so this would not stop her. Still, Mami might have taken it far worse... and now that the events in Mitakihara became more significant to Kyoko's own life, her thoughts returned to those two months she spent being tutored by the friendly Magical Girl.

Actually, the redhead thought about going and apologising more than once. However, she either lacked the resolve or the will to actually do it; knowing that Mami would most likely not accept her methods and that she came to see the people around her as trash, they would not be able to get along again. So rather leave these bittersweet memories of them being friends as they were. The only thing she actually missed was the cake anyway. But still, the question was...

"Does Mami know?"

That was what she wondered about. If the blonde was aware, how did she take it?

Her question prompted the little Witch to jump onto the bed and... sit next to her. That looked a bit strange, seeing that the doll just had her spiralling legs fold into themselves while lowering herself. Now it looked more like two ribbons rolled up than the legs she had before.

Candel's arms slowly snuck over the soft blanket, for whatever reason. She avoided touching her right now. "Yes. I was not born when she found out, but I remember a bit of that. She... I saw someone becoming a Witch right in front of me. I can remember the shock and surprise... but it was alright. Mami recovered, you see? I can't tell how because I have so little of her memories, but she told me that Lilly helped steadying her."

Now there was another piece of the puzzle. So Mami could take that reveal, not because of herself but because this scheming Witch did something again. Kyoko nodded slightly and continued to follow the ribbons that moved around like deformed snakes. Just how did those work as arms anyway?

"I see. So Mami's fine?"

"Mhm, she is. But are you?"

Again with this question... but honestly, the redhead was still not sure herself. Nonetheless, she smirked and held up a fist. "Will be, don't worry."

She would managed, as she always did. Actually... she would not know what to think of this anyway. Did any differences come with it?

 _None I noticed... everything's like it always was..._

She ate as usual, walked around as usual... but now that Kyoko thought about it, should there not be at least some differences? If so, what was it? Would Candel know?

On the other hand, it was unlikely that the doll had an idea about that particular thing. Yuri would, though. So Kyoko blinked a few times while staring at the ceiling again, then sighed. It was about time after all... the thought made her uneasy once more.

"Kyoko?"

Her eyes darted back to the doll that sat by her side and spoke with this familiar voice, then the Magical Girl sighed again. "Guess I'm bringing you back tomorrow morning."

"Huh... you will? You're coming to Mitakihara? Yay!"

And there she went and hugged her again... this Witch really perfected the art of winding her ribbons through the smallest of gaps; there was no other explanation to how she got them around her back. Kyoko just let it happen, there was nothing she could do against it anyway. So this Sunday was the day... where she would most likely reunite with Mami; former teacher, friend... it really felt strange after such a long time.

Still, this was just another challenge to be overcome. Yes, that was a good way to see it.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

In the end, they did not get to talk to Mami and Akemi for long. As it turned out, both of them were runnings errands, shopping for clothes and the like. Sayaka really wondered what the transfer student needed all this stuff for. On the other hand, why would she care? That girl had been strange ever since and she did not particularly like her, either. There was just something off.

With what she was told when they met the other two, Sayaka understood it all. Magical Girls of all things, though... that was not what she expected, not at all. Especially because the blond and raven-haired girl seemed like polar opposites; one of them quiet and cold, the other talkative and friendly... why were they working together to begin with?

 _Ah well, I don't know right now._

They told them about Witches hiding in the shadows and that they were preying on people, but nothing strange happened so far. Neither her nor Madoka was attacked, so... it was fine for now. However, they were also told not to become Magical Girls because they had to fight for the rest of their life... which was harsh and put a quick stop to the blunette's fantasies about forming a contract with this Kyubey-thing anyway.

 _So not all of them are like this doll Mami-san had with her the other day..._

She did not remember the name of this Witch, but the older girl assured them that this one was friendly; therefore, Sayaka believed it.

Unfortunately, her musing just served as a way to procrastinate even further... and the notebook remained empty so far. Realising that, the tomboy quickly shook her head a few times to get the thoughts away. She had to concentrate or her grades would drop even further... which meant heavy consequences.

 _Stop being lazy, brain! Please, just for once!_

"Having trouble working?"

"Huh? Yes, I..."

Sayaka stopped talking the moment she realised something very important: her parents were at work, so she was the only one at home. The moment this trickled down into her brain, a surge of adrenaline rushed through her body and had the middle-schooler whirl around in her chair... to find a raven-haired girl sitting on her bed and looking her way. She wore a simple pair of jeans and a purple sweater, which was also the colour of her sparkling eyes.

Seeing that it was someone she knew, the blunette calmed down at least a little bit; which meant that she did not scream at the top of her lungs. However, she angrily eyed the intruder. "What are you doing here, transfer student?! How did you even get inside!?"

However, her classmate just shrugged and crossed her legs. "I wonder. Maybe you just weren't looking. However, you should know that I'm not my sister. Not that this will help you."

This kind of attitude was annoying, especially after that girl _just broke into her house_. She did not even seem the slightest bit apologeptic over that... and what was that about being Akemi's sister, as if she would believe that! If the girl had a sister, why would only she transfer in?

"Yeah, nice try. You know I can just call the police, right?"

Strangely though, despite the fact that Sayaka actually meant it, the raven-haired girl just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her rather calm expression became a slight frown and the priorly mocking smirk changed into a more dangerous one... somehow, this kind of look the transfer student gave her right now had the blunette consider fleeing. A shiver ran down her spine and she got the feeling that something was really, really wrong... but she had no idea what it meant.

"I knew you would be annoying, Miki. Mind if I tell you why you can't 'just call the police'?"

Now her own eyes narrowed a bit further. Where was this discussion even headed and why would Akemi act this diffferent from how she was at school? Was this how she really was?

Even when the tomboy did not say anything, the other girl continued after a few seconds anyway... and her words made the resident of this place even more uneasy: "For one, you would need to get to a phone first. Guess what you won't manage to do. And besides of that, we can get this over with without any unnecessary violence or something like that... however... If you decide to make this more difficult with fighting back, you can expect me not to be nice any longer. And don't even start about things not going my way, really. A puny human like you wouldn't be able to stop me."

She rose to her feet with those words, casting a cold gaze at Sayaka. "Take off your top."

 _W-Wait... what?!_

She could only stare at the other girl in shock. What exactly was that supposed to mean? How would she... why...

Over the stream of questions, the blunette's anger broke through and she did the first thing that came to mind: charging up the few steps separating her from the transfer student and swinging for her face. She did not even manage to let out an angered scream like she wanted to... it came out as a painful whimper when her wrist was easily grabbed mid-swing and a lithe fist hammered into her stomach at the same time. The pain erupting from there burned hot through a good part of her upper and lower body, making her legs give in and the girl drop to the ground. The intruder just stood right in front of her while Sayaka curled into a ball with her arms in front of her belly. She could barely breath and it hurt so much that tears trickled out of her eyes. How could such a slender girl be so strong?

Before the blunette got the chance to recover though, two hands grabbed her collar and lifted her upwards with apparent ease. What she saw then brought true horror to Sayaka's mind; her assailant was smiling like a madwoman, purple eyes sparkling with glee. It was now that the girl realised what was happening... and she actually wanted to scream. However, Akemi's forehead collided with hers painfully before she could, the headbutt silencing Sayaka with her head throbbing from the impact as well. It overshadowed the subsiding waves of pain from her stomach, but this was no better.

Tears stained her cheeks and made her field of vision a fuzzy mess, but Sayaka just had no strength to fight back. She was afraid that when she tried again, the other girl would hurt her more.

"No more squirming? Too bad, I actually hoped you would give me some more opportunities."

The cheerful voice had the blunette focus her gaze on the girl holding her, a single, silent question on her lips: why?

However, it only made Akemi's smirk widen. "Why, you ask? Well, let's just say I hate you. Although you should be grateful; I'm saving you from one of the greatest threats in your life right now."

On the last word, the blunette was dropped to the ground and kept sitting there, fearfully looking up at her assailant. This girl was too strong, there was nothing she could do... and realising how powerless she actually was had Sayaka break down, sobbing and with her face hidden from the cruel intruder.

 _Th-This... all of this... why? Why me?_

She felt something touch her side... and then a great force that turned her around so that the blunette came to lie on her back. When she took her hands from her eyes to look, she saw Akemi coming closer and straddling her. This looked more and more like... she wouldn't, would she?

Blue eyes widened in utter shock over what all of this might mean... and it only became worse when those hands reached out for her top, undoing the button on the collar. But there was nothing she could do...

Cold purple remained directed at her while the other girl's hands hovered a bit lower and undid button after button until her top was open... would her pants come next?

After a moment of fear though, Sayaka noticed that her assailant made no such move. No, she actually stood up again and looked down. "Last chance to be cooperative. Turn around and lie flat on your stomach.

 _S-She... didn't?_

No attempt to hurt her anymore... but the blunette could see how impatient Akemi was. Out of fear to get hit again, she complied and pushed herself around; all the while trying to cover as much of her exposed belly and bra as she could. At least she could just keep lying still and hide herself from those evil eyes. This transfer student was not strange, she was a monster. Sayaka now understood this.

"I guess you finally understood what I am, then. As I said, I'm not Homura. She would never have the heart to do this."

The voice came from right above and a pair of hands pressed down on her shoulder blades, thus making the helpless girl unable to move. She could barely wiggle around and had by now learned her lesson; that was why Sayaka just kept quiet and let it happen, whatever it was. Silent tears fell down onto the ground, a small indicator of her feelings. She was horrified.

Then one of the hands wandered a bit higher and pulled back the top of her blue pyjamas, effectively uncovering her neck. The stronger girl leaned downwards until she could feel a steady breath against her bare flesh. The feeling made her shiver again and yet, there was just nothing she could do...

"You know, I like you better that way. No unnecessary bravado, no stupid charging into doom... why can't you always be this honest, Miki?"  
This was followed by something touching her neck, something soft... was that...

Suddenly, an eerie calm started to flood through Sayaka's mind. She forgot her fear and helplessness bit by bit, no matter how much she tried to fight the feeling. Surprise and anger and about everything else were washed away.

...

 **. . .**

Lilly rose with a content smile and licked her lips. That fool had been sweating a lot over the last few minutes, so the sensation was a bit salty... however, this little inconvenience was very well worth it. Under her, the unmoving figure of Miki Sayaka lay; calm and relaxed, with a little something glowing on her bare flesh; a purple circle holding a Red Spider Lilly. The magic still surged through her lips and head, but became weaker by the second until there was just the small bit left she needed to stop time and leave.

Mortal World's Witch slowly rose to her feet, but the fool remained where she was. So it apparently worked. Now to the more interesting part.

"Stand up."

Upon her command, life returned to the blunette, who slowly turned around and pushed herself upwards. No further attempts to cover herself, though Lilly did not really care anyway. Sayaka looked back at her with a dull expression, no trace of the actual person present. That was a good start.

The human-shaped Witch started to smirk. Seeing someone she hated with such a passion wiggle around and squirm in fear was a really nice thing. It was not what she arrived here for, but she considered it a bonus.

"Slap yourself."

Before the command was even completely finished, one of Sayaka's hands shot up and hit her own cheek with audible noise. The girl's face started to redden where she hit herself while Lilly snickered. "Now that's entertainment. Get back to a proper state of dress, wipe your tears from the ground and wash your face. In this order."

The Witch sat down on the bed again and watched in delight as each of her orders was carried out. When Sayaka returned from the bathroom, there were no traces left of what happened before. She liked the girl much more this way, really. It was a shame this would not last.

 _Everything goes better than I thought it would... no sign of Kyubey anywhere._

On the other hand, it was a good thing that the rat had most likely not seen what she did here. Lilly did not like others watching her experiments, especially in such early stages. She needed to concentrate... especially because a certain part of herself wanted to just tell the fool to kill herself. This was to both parts because of this being the regular order upon kissing a human and because Sayaka would deserve it.

However, Mortal World's Witch suppressed the urge. She needed this girl alive, well and uncontracted. Thus, her free will was less important than the others. Miki Sayaka would not be allowed foolishness this time around.

"Alright, now to business."

There was no need to glare at the human, who stood around like a mannequin; unmoving, with her expression unchanging. What separated her from those dolls was her breathing. Dull eyes were directed at Lilly, who could not stop herself from smirking.

"Should Kyubey ask you to form a contract... and become a Magical Girl or either of the two separately, you will tell it no."

"Yes."

This was so easy... why had she not thought of it before? Of course there would be problems with this action as well, but Lilly actually liked it more than previous ideas she had; this made it a lot easier to stay in control. Especially with this girl that would form a contract just to mess with her.

"Good. Once I left this room, you will sit back down at your desk and forget everything that happened between the two of us in here when you snap out of this state. You will forget I was here as well and while I'm at it... study a bit more diligently from now on, but don't stay up later than midnight."

Yes, she had to carefully phrase every order. Humans were difficult to handle and an unclear phrasing could bring strange side-effects. Lilly suspected that if she did not tell the girl to go to bed on time, she would take the order to study and run with it for the whole night... or even longer. This was not what she wanted.

"Okay."

She might get annoyed if someone else gave those dull responses, but the eldritch being did not mind it in the slightest, coming from the ever-energetic, ever-foolish Miki Sayaka. It filled her with glee.

Without another word, Lilly rose to her feet and stopped time to leave, just as she arrived, through one of the windows in the living room. Once she was outside, the Witch closed it shut with her Telekinesis -exactly as she opened it to begin with.

 **. . .**

Once the other being was gone, Sayaka's body moved and brought her back to her desk, sitting down as she sat before.

The blunette lowered her head on her notebook and stared for a few seconds. Then she blinked and looked up with a start.

"What the..."

There was nothing there. But she could swear that something just happened... had she been spacing out? Most likely; there was no one there after all. When the girl turned her gaze back down however, she got another shock.

 _What the...?! I haven't done anything yet! Better get started._

So she quickly took her pen and started concentrating on working on those problems. The slight throbbing in her forehead was ignored, being blamed onto the headache her previous thinking brought her.

 **. . .**

A few streets away from the Miki-residence, a joyful Witch sat on top of a roof. Relaxed purple was directed down at the people below, unseen and unnoticed. Her aura was rather weak tonight, but Lilly did not need that much energy. She was pleased with how all of this turned out, especially because it actually seemed to work.

With that, there was no chance for Kyubey to snatch the fool in a moment of weakness. Madoka was in good hands... everything looked fine. Of course there would be trouble ahead, but Lilly was confident.

Of course she knew that Candeloro would not make the difference. The implications of this realisation just stopped her concious mind from ever thinking about it before. She had something as primal as fear weigh down her thoughts too much, the Witch now understood that.

 _Once everything is put into order, I just need to draw in more and more actors. Once we can fill the stage properly, not even the Queen of Witches will stand._

Yes, she was ready. More than ever before.

An amused chuckle escaped her lips, but the eldritch being quickly stopped herself lest someone might spot her. Humans would get to wrong conclusions very quickly, so it would be better not to be seen. All of this would be so much easier if she could still create a barrier...

 _I can't, though. On the other hand... Candel kept her original body, so maybe she can pull it off if given enough energy._

The thought was pushed back to be examined at another time. As it was, the doll could grow stronger simply by being around humans, but the process was far slower than Lilly's method. Being around a small crowd for a whole day brought her about the same amount of energy that Mortal World's Witch could gain from eating a Grief Seed. This ratio was about right, although it might differ from the actual thing still.

However, this meant that she had to get someone else to run around with the doll so she could fill up with as much energy as possible. Lilly would definitely not get close to larger groups of humans on a regular basis.

And yet, if they could create a barrier and even minions... there was so much more they might be able to do in that case. Lilly suffered a bit from having to rely on Mami's flat as a base of operations. Not because it had a bad position or was not to her liking, but because there were so many people that might see her returning. There were officially only two people living there, so how should a third one be explained?

If Candel could create a barrier, then both Witches could live there. They could move it around as they pleased and, if necessary, even attack from the inside or draw someone in.

 _On top of that... if we place a barrier with Candel in it right amidst a crowd... could she gather strength from within?_

If they could make a special space where the walls were thinner, this might be possible. Lilly just had to make sure to get something created to block the stench first. Nonetheless, the mere possibilities a barrier brought... she might finally be able to feel at ease for a change.

Of course there was the time she got to spend with Homura, which brought her close to a completely relaxed state. However, the human-shaped Witch remained a bit tense even then, even in her sleep and all the time anyway. Aside from the nightmares occasionally haunting her, even the slightest noise could manage to wake her. Instinct just would not let her rest properly.

Due to her non-human nature, Lilly could go with far less sleep than those pitiful beings... however, she preferred to have at least five hours of rest per night, which she rarely got. Not counting that one time where she slept almost a full day out of exhaustion and sickness, the record consisted of six hours... though she only got four most of the time. Enough to get by, but not comfortably so. At least her magic prevented rings from forming under her eyes

Quiet and darkness was all around, giving her at least the illusion of peace. Tomorrow would be a day of work again, just like all the days ever since she started had been. This went not only for her, but for Homura as well. The Magical Girl would be aware of that just as she was.

Still, Lilly eyed the night with a smirk on her face. She could twist around the Incubator's plans as she pleased now... at least as long as the person of interest was not a Magical Girl. Kisses did not work on them. On the other hand, she still could put one on Madoka and the thought was tempting. However, scaring the gentle girl like that was something Lilly would not do. She already had ideas on how to work around the problems with her.

 _I guess it's about time to head back._

 **. . .**

As one eldritch being rose and prepared to return home, another one was nestled firmly against a certain Magical Girl; both of them were sound asleep, as was the city around them.

The only important person left awake at this point, seeing that a certain pinkette already went to bed as well, was carefully doing her homework.

 **. . .**

And of course, there were Homura and Mami. Both of them were awaiting the return of the Witches they lived with, one with slowly growing curiousity, the other with worry. However, there was a silent agreement not to talk at this point.

 _Lilly is late... but she was so in the past already._

Still, there was something up, she could feel it. Homura had a sense for when her sister was just delayed or actually doing something important by now. It was a bit like in the last timeline... which she was still a bit sore about. Yes, she said that she trusted the Witch with her plan, but for her to do something as insane as this...

The time traveler had a lot of time to think about this during the last week, seeing that playing with Candeloro or watching Madoka was not that demanding a task. She still wondered what her Witch was after... and at the same time, the attempt to follow her train of thought made the Magical Girl shiver.

Then suddenly, Mami's Soul Gem started glowing and the two exchanged a glance, knowing that Mortal World's Witch would be back soon.


	45. Avert the Inevitable I

_Guh..._

Kyoko was not a morning person. She much preferred to sleep in and relax for a while after waking up... but today, she took the bus at eight. In the end, the redhead was still not sure whether she was ready to face Mami; so she would drop by in Mitakihara while the blonde was in school, leave her Witch there and hurry back.

Speaking of Witch, Candeloro was hiding away in the duffel back the Magical Girl usually used to carry her belongings around. At least she kept quiet... not that there was anyone around to hear them even if they talked, but there was a very good chance of being snapped at. Kyoko really needed a while to wake up properly... and breakfast, definitely. She just wolfed down an apple earlier, but her stomach was demanding food again.

Still, she should have a word with Yuri about the 'becoming a Witch'-part of her contract again. The raven-haired girl did not say much the last day and she did see this strange spark in her eyes... which prompted the Magical Girl not to say anything. This spark that she knew only mad people had. Okay, that girl was a Witch, an eldritch being that just looked human... but even then, she did not have it before. Something happened and Kyoko was inclined to connect it to the rampage in this alleyway.

 _Maybe she calmed down over a good night's rest._

Because if there was one person she definitely did not want to mess with, especially not when she was in a bad mood, it was Yuri. Even now that the redhead realised this Witch to be considerably weaker than initially suspected... there was just something about her that gave Kyoko the creeps. It was not her ruthlessness; Kyoko had more of that. Neither was it the disregard for regular people, seeing that the Magical Girl was just the same... however, the other girl displayed a certain lack of mercy and a tremendous self-control. Just like those punks she scared away a week ago; when she saw them again two days prior, they ran away in fear.

Kyoko could not make anyone this afraid without getting in big trouble. Yuri just went, scarred one of them for life while killing another at the same time... both of that with a devious smirk and not the slightest trace of remorse. Granted, the redhead would not feel bad for those losers, either... but she had a slight shadow of doubt later that day. Not that she particularly cared, but the Magical Girl had been rather glad that her own limits effectively prevented her from crossing certain lines so far. Killing someone did not go unnoticed and she valued her freedom; so she mostly just beat them up if she felt like it.

Yuri on the other hand had nothing like that stop her. She skillfully moved around trouble and did as she pleased; which meant that if there was someone making her angry on purpose, she could make their life living hell just as easily. And quite frankly, Kyoko had no desire to be on the receiving end. She preferred to watch and laugh.

And maybe... _maybe_ she was a little bit afraid of this Witch. Her senses were outstanding, allowing her to find her kin so much faster than any Magical Girl could. Even when it was mostly some strange fire she used to burn down the barriers -according to Candeloro, that was-, this did not mean that she should take her easy in any situation. Unfortunately, the doll would not tell her much more about her friend's abilities, just that there was more. In the end, it was most likely futile to guess. Maybe she would get the chance to ask... although it was also unlikely to get an answer.

At least her eyebrows grew back after Candel burned them away the day before...

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Somehow, something was not right. Unfortunately, Homura could not put her finger on it. She just had a strange feeling ever since she entered the classroom. It was not the staring of her classmates; she was used to that. Madoka was fine and no Kyubey in sight... so what was it?

 _Did something happen with Miki Sayaka? No, unlikely. She emits no magic._

Or... did she? Now that the time traveler focussed on the pinkette's troublesome friend, she realised that this strange feeling was indeed coming from her. It did not seem as if anyone noticed and... after another moment of consideration, the raven-haired girl understood what struck her as off: Sayaka was not asleep.

They were in the midst of class, but the blunette was attentive and even made notes. Such diligence of hers was unprecedented.

In this very moment, Homura was sure that something was up. Something happened, which she had no idea of. But who was responsible? Kyubey... or Lilly? Both of them were masters of scheming, but this looked more like her sister's style of work; undetectable unless one knew exactly what to look for. Kyubey's manipulations were more obvious in that regard.

But what exactly did she do? Unfortunately for the Magical Girl, there were still a few hours left until she could go home. Seeing that the human-shaped Witch would not stay at Mami's place for the time being, calling her was futile anyway. Which meant that she had to try and find out by herself.

But how? Lilly seemed to pull another ace out of her sleeve once in a while, so... what was it this time?

 _Mhm... Candel was not with her yesterday, so it has to be Lilly herself. Her fire is useless and Telekinesis makes no sense. So maybe not her individual magic?_

Maybe she just went to talk to Miki Sayaka... but that would not make the girl become more attentive in class, would it? The human-shaped Witch could not create a barrier and Homura never heard her of having the ability to put a Kiss on someone. On the other hand, this sounded like the most fitting one. Still, she could not just pull down the blunette's collar to look and there was nothing to be seen on her neck.

The time traveler sighed inwardly and wondered. Did her sister learn how to break the will of humans? If not, what exactly did she do to this girl? It was absolutely unthinkable that she would not have her hand in this after all.

Unfortunately, Homura found nothing but the Kiss to be a viable explanation. Or maybe Lilly really just talked to the blunette, which meant that the latter would want to talk to her soon. Lunchbreak was coming up, so she would wait until then. If no attempt of the foolish girl was made, then she would just stop time and take a look at her back to make sure.

 **. . .**

So here she was... it took her until noon to get to the place. Kyoko made a few detours, visited a few places... she did not feel ready still.

That was why she was sitting outside for a good ten minutes now, still thinking about what to do. Maybe she should stay and have a heart-to-heart with Mami... but...

"You're really bad at hiding your actual thoughts."

The redhead looked up, only to find a certain Witch standing over her. Yuri held her expression blank and went to sit next to her, a bit aside from the entrance to the building so that none of the cameras in front could see her. Kyoko had done the same, so no one would actually know they were here if they did not see them with their own eyes.

Actually, this kind of appearing out of nowhere had become something of a routine, so the Magical Girl just raised her hand in greeting. "Yo."

She also opened up her duffel back and pulled the other Witch out of it before handing her over. Once Yuri put her hands on the thin waistline, Candel hugged her friend with a squeal. "I'm back, Lilly!"

The raven-haired one just rolled her eyes, unseen by the doll. She exchanged a glance with Kyoko and leaned on the wall. "Trying to avoid Mami?"

"Don't know."

Actually, she was tempted to brush the girl off by telling her to mind her own business... but honestly, Yuri knew her too well anyway. That Witch was good at reading people, so the redhead had no chance to protect her thoughts from her to begin with. She sighed and looked up at the sky. "It just feels strange to be back."

She only got an understanding humming in return, but that was fine. Kyoko did not want a lecture on why she was feeling that way or a reassurance that everyone did. She did not care for either of that... and thankfully, Yuri understood that. She absentmindedly patted Candeloro's head while staring up as well. "By the way: You better now?"

"Hm?"

When slightly confused purple was turned her way, the redhead rolled her eyes and nodded back at the Witch. "I've seen what you did in that alleyway yesterday. Kyubey told me it was you. So, are you feeling better now?"

She would not ask what exactly brought this fit of rage, although she did want to know. This might be a sensible topic, so Kyoko decided not to touch it; just as Yuri did not get close to topics that were sensible for her.

However, her question brought her a raised eyebrow and a nod before the Witch returned to looking at the sky. "I am. What about you?"

So now they were talking about the eldritch being that grew within her soul. The redhead shrugged and spread her fingers, all the while looking down at the ring. "I'm okay now, I guess. Just took some time to calm down."

This conversation started to become awkward. Neither of them was one to talk about her feelings and Kyoko knew that... still, she figured that Yuri appreciated the company as much as she did. Sometimes, it was nice to have someone around. Even loners like them needed that once in a while.

"How about we go do something? I don't like sitting around and doing nothing."

Which was about the same thing the redhead thought just a moment ago. She smirked at the human-shaped Witch and got to her feet. "Sounds good to me."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"That's rare for you, Sayaka-chan. You stayed awake until lunchbreak."

Upon hearing this from their soft-spoken friend, Hitomi had to agree with what she said. That was unusual for the blunette and while she regularly frowned over this kind of behaviour, the other girl would not change anything about it. Granted, she did try... but that did not work, either.

Sayaka on her part just threw a hurtful look at them. "Come on now, that was mean. I can get this stuff done if I try, you know?"

 _Would that not mean that you never tried before?_

Going by the glance Madoka threw her way, they thought the same thing just now. Hitomi sighed softly and shook her head. "I see... although I do hope that you will manage to continue like this. It would surely be a vast improvements for your grades as well."

This, on the other hand, was something the blunette definitely needed. From what she told the other two over the course of their first year in Middle School, she barely avoided getting grounded more than once. It did not get better this year so far... so maybe she just decided to stop being lazy for a change? However, this did not really fit her regular behaviour. It was a bit strange.

The three girls were on their way to the roof, where they ate lunch most of the time. It was a nice, quiet place to be at and Hitomi liked the fresh air. Unfortunately though, it was a bit too cold up there in winter.

As they reached the staircase however, her blue-haired friend shivered and looked around for a moment. The well-mannered girl decided not to ask; she had those sensations as well at times, where she would just get goosebumps for no reason. Madoka might not even have seen it because she was going ahead.

 **. . .**

In one of the more quiet hallways nearby, Homura leaned on the wall and pondered what to do. She just checked Miki Sayaka and found that Lilly _did_ put a Witch's Kiss on her. It was about three centimeters lower than her collar... which meant that Madoka would see it the moment they went to change for P.E. the next day.

 _What to do? Tomoe Mami is out of reach and no sign of Lilly..._

The third-year went to have lunch with a few of her classmates, much to the time traveler's surprise. She seemed to try and get her life back into an ordered fashion, most likely due to a certain Witch's influence as well. Homura was not sure what to think of that. She did not particularly mind or care, but there could always be trouble ahead if someone tried to change something.

She definitely needed to have a talk with Lilly again; at this point, the human-shaped Witch should not keep secrets from her. It was not a valid argument to point out Mami's presence, seeing that their bond could still be used for private communication whenever necessary.

 _I should ask her why she isn't talking to me, too._

Something had to be going on, seeing that especially Mortal World's Witch did nothing without reason. Kyubey was around most of the time as well, but it kept its distance and appeared content with simply observing their surroundings. Maybe it still had to figure out the sudden changes originating from their time travel... which would be a good thing. The longer the Incubator needed, the better.

Seeing that Mami was with her classmates though, this at least meant that she did not have to eat so much again. Homura knew that the blonde had only good intentions, but she was content with smaller portions. Now she would at least have some quiet to think.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

School was over at last. However, it was only her and Madoka now, seeing that Hitomi excused herself for one of her classes again. They saw her off with a wave not long ago and were on their way back from the mall as well.

Nonetheless, her gentle friend apparently had something to talk about: "Um... Sayaka-chan? Are you sure you're fine?"

Bewildered blue turned to concerned pink and the tomboy wondered just what this was about. Yes, okay, she kept herself from sleeping in class; but still, was it really so strange a thing to try and be a bit more diligent in school?  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you think something is wrong?"

She was not particularly angry about the small amount of trust her friends seemed to have in her... at least not yet. However, Sayaka could not deny that she was a bit annoyed about the pinkette right now... but she forgot about that the moment a cold voice called out to them: "Kaname Madoka, Miki Sayaka."

Both girls turned their heads and came to see Akemi Homura leaning on the railing of the street, right next to her Tomoe Mami, who smiled at them warmly. So they were Magical Girls... she still wondered what to make of that. On the one hand, it was certainly a cool thing; but on the other hand, Madoka told her a few disturbing things about how this apparently worked in real life. About how their souls were taken out of their bodies and became those 'Witches' later on. But if they just got to be like this doll Mami had with her the other day, it should be fine... right?

"Oh. Homura-chan, Mami-san..."

The smaller girl quickly lost her concerned expression and smiled at the two. "Good afternoon, I didn't expect you here."

The transfer student nodded slightly while Sayaka did the same. Mami bowed her head a bit. "I have to admit, this is as sudden to me as it is to you. However, would you like to join us for tea?"

This smile was somewhat disarming and the blunette did not really have anything else to do anyway. She exchanged a glance with her friend before nodding. "Of course, Mami-san."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

The walk back to her upperclassman's flat was a bit awkward, Madoka found. The Magical Girls kept quiet most of the time and she still thought that her childhood friend was acting weird. Not that she would not trust Sayaka, but this change in behaviour was too sudden to not be a bit concerning.

 _Maybe something happened with Kamijou-kun?_

This was the only plausible explanation she came up with so far; nothing else would come to mind and the pinkette was worried.

"I do have to admit, Homura-san, I am starting to wonder what you are up to today."

The silence was broken suddenly and both regular girls cast glances at the blonde, who in turn eyed her raven-haired companion. Homura barely tilted her head and made a small motion towards Sayaka. "Seeing that my dear sister is unreachable most of the time, I had no time to ask her what exactly she did beforehand. Kyubey most likely knows, so I'd rather have those two hear it from her."

 _Huh? Why was she pointing at Sayaka-chan before?_

That... did not really add up. On the other hand, Madoka might not see the big picture. More importantly, though... "You have a sister, Homura-chan?"

She never mentioned that before and the pinkette wondered at once whether it was a pretty big sister or a cute little sister. Both would make sense, given the other girl's looks. However, she was given a long glance instead of an actual answer... and then the transfer student averted her gaze. "I do."

That was all she said and Madoka was a bit disappointed. However, she found it rude to pry, so that was not an option. There was not even any need for it, seeing that they might meet the girl soon. Mami on her part smiled leniently and cast a glance at the two regular girls. "Homura-san has a reason to be tight-lipped; you see, Yuri-san is not a normal person, she is a Witch as well."

 _U... huh?_

This came as a surprise, although she should have guessed it already. They told her that those creatures were born from Magical Girls and that Candel was actually Mami's own Witch. But... did that mean...

"Wait, you have more of those dolls around?"

Now they all looked at Sayaka, who seemed bewildered and eyed the Magical Girls. Mami cast a confused glance back before understanding could be seen on her face. "My, I think there is a misunderstanding. Each Witch has a unique look. Of course there might be others taking the form of a doll, but this is rather rare altogether. To be honest... I never saw how Yuri-san actually looks like: From what I heard, she took human form upon birth and remained in it ever since."

So... there were Witches that could masquerade as humans, too? How should anyone find them like that, Madoka wondered. This one should be alright though, seeing that she was with the Magical Girls.

"Oh... so you mean she looks just like any of us... um... is there any way to find out whether someone is a Witch?"

Actually, the pinkette was curious about that as well. If there was no way to distinguish, there might be a problem... however, Homura tilted her head slightly and nodded. "A Witch's aura can still be sensed even in a different form; every Magical Girl could tell them apart from regular people."

"I see..."

So there was nothing to be afraid of, right? Nonetheless, now Madoka was even more curious as to what kind of person this sister might be. Hopefully a nice one like Candeloro.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

When they reached Mami's home however, they were greeted by the sound of laughter. Two people were apparently there and seemed to enjoy themselves with something... and the doll-Witch sat on the floor right behind the door.

The noise subsided, but Madoka noticed how the blonde's expression became a surprised one. Homura's stoicism never wavered... and the moment the raven-haired girl closed the door, the little eldritch being jumped her counterpart. "I'm so glad you're back, Mami!"  
The third-year gently patted Candel's head while slowly slipping out of her shoes. "There, there. Welcome back, Candel... what happened here?"

To that, the doll just shook harder and slowly loosened one of her arms to point at a door. "Kyoko and I explored the city a bit... and now those two watch horror-movies and laugh over it. They are scary, both of them!"

This... sounded a bit strange, if she was honest. How could someone laugh over a movie meant to scare people to begin with? And on top of that... why would anyone do that?

 _And who is this Kyoko-chan, I wonder..._

All those were questions currently running through her head. Unfortunately, Madoka did not really find an answer to any of them. Maybe that was a friend of theirs... or another Magical Girl.

Another round of laughter erupted from what might be the living room, prompting the older girl and the transfer student to exchange glances. Homura went to get going, Mami followed a moment later and motioned for the second-years to come with them.

A moment after the door leading into the larger room was opened however, an amused voice called out: "Oh, now comes the interesting part. What's your bet?"

Before the sentence was finished, a slightly tattered-looking redhead came into view, with her eyes the same colour as her hair and a delightful smirk on her face. She was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, looking at the screen... where one character was just cut into pieces. Madoka quickly looked away and shivered. She held a strong dislike for this kind of movie for a reason. Homura and Mami eyed the display a moment longer with the blonde frowning slightly.

"As usual, two survivors."

That was the response to the last question, coming from the girl on the couch... a girl that resembled her classmate to the hair. The sight surprised her and apparently, she was not the only one. Sayaka stared as well. Especially because this one was wearing a rather calm smile... and giggled to the sound of screaming from the movie. Apparently, they had not been noticed yet. Although Madoka wondered how anyone could think this kind of thing funny...

 _So this is the other Witch they told us about... she is really different from Candel-chan..._

Speaking of which, the doll was now holding on to the pinkette's leg and seemed rather content with staying there... actually... should she not be a bit more opposed to a being small enough to look under her skirt standing this close?

"I still think they deliberately make those people look stupid. No human is that dense... okay, granted, some come very close, but still..."

The words distracted Madoka from her train of thought and had her return to look at the other eldritch being, whose eyes moved sidewards and focussed on Homura; the Magical Girl strode over to take the remote from her hands and shut the TV off.

"You're right, no one's... hey! What... oh."

The redhead was looking their way now, seeing Mami standing a bit to the side with the two second years and Homura with Yuri... suddenly, she seemed far less cheerful than before. However, it was the transfer student who broke the silence after a few seconds. "I won't even ask about that, Lilly. However, would you be so kind as to tell me why you put a Kiss on Miki Sayaka without telling us?"

 _Huh? Hueeeeeh?!_

"What?!"

""Excuse me?""

"Really!?"

Madoka's thoughts were surely the only proper response to hearing something like that, although Sayaka was pretty close with her reaction as well. Mami and Candel spoke almost in unison, although the former sounded more alienated and the latter mostly surprised. Yuri... or Lilly, whichever her name was, just smirked and leaned back a bit. The other girl, who would have to be Kyoko, raised an eyebrow and got to her feet. "You can do that?"

"H-How about we take a seat first?", their host quickly interjected with an attempt at a polite smile. However, Madoka could see that it was just an attempt and not more... but why would something like this bring her mind into so much turmoil?

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The following minutes were really awkward, with everyone sitting around the low table. Sayaka, without actually understanding anything, was glaring daggers at Yuri. Homura kept her gaze neutral, sitting right next to the human-shaped Witch and on Madoka's other side. Kyoko took the seat on the third side of the table and was thereby opposite to the two regulars; the forth side was inhabited by no one for now, seeing that Mami and Candel went off to make tea.

Still, the reactions of the Magical Girls were a bit strange. Was there something different to the kiss of a Witch? Had it some special meaning?

 _Maybe I should ask..._

However, the pinkette decided to wait until everyone was back at the table. The tea seemed to take a while...

 **. . .**

One room away, Mami was standing in front of the almost steaming pot. Her eyes were closed and refined hands nervously fiddled with each other. Next to her, Candeloro was eyeing the display with curiousity. The doll already asked for what bothered her, but the blonde did not find it in herself to respond.

Waves of guilt came crashing down on her, which she did not know how to react to.

 _I... I killed Sakura-san. I just went and killed her... and now there she sits, oblivious to what happened..._

Due to all the strange things that happened ever since she woke up in her bed and realised that she leaped through time, Mami never came to think about what transpired just minutes earlier before. She completely forgot... but seeing the redhead again brought it back, with all the guilt she knew she should have felt at that time already. Even when her fellow Magical Girl had no idea and might never know, it ate away at the blonde. How should she react in this kind of situation?

Suddenly, something soft started to stroke her head, which had Mami look to the side in surprise. Candel lengthened her arm even further to caress the Magical Girl some more, all the while humming softly... and the sensation she got from her Witch was that of a reassuring smile. "Calm down, Mami. Everything will be fine."

It almost sounded like a purr and the fifteen-year-old actually started to relax under the soft touch. She never realised how calming that was...

 _Actually... I also never noticed how sweet Candel can be._

To be fair, the doll was kind and energetic... but she rarely displayed this kind of affection so far. Actually... she did not at all.

Mami's pondering was cut short when the sound of steam bursting out of the pot interrupted their moment. She smiled down at her Witch and nodded. "Yes, you are right. Thank you, Candel."

Then she proceeded to turn off the stove and fill the teapot with water. Maybe Homura was actually right and their Witches were really more mature than them...


	46. Avert the Inevitable II

"So, what was that about Yuri kissing people now?"

The words came the moment Mami sat down after putting a tray on the table. The blond Magical Girl poured tea into the cups while averting her gaze from Kyouko, who looked around quizzically. However, Miki Sayaka did the same and Homura wondered what brought her sister to do this. They fared rather well and at this point, it should be possible to stop the blunette from contracting altogether. Did Lilly really need to do something like this, which might cost them Madoka's trust?

When the redhead decided to rest her gaze on the two raven-haired girls, the time traveler cast a glance over to her Witch as well. Who just had an eyebrow raised and took a sip of her tea. Somehow, she got the feeling that Lilly was enjoying this situation a bit too much.

"Um... I don't think I understand... is there anything different about a Witch's K-Kiss?"

The veterans eyed Madoka for the question, who looked around both sheepishly and curiously. Sayaka just continued to glare despite knowing nothing. However, she stopped in surprise when Homura spoke to her: "Can you pull down your collar for a moment? It's a bit lower than that, right on your spine."

"Huh? Wh... wait a second, how do you even know that?"

 **. . .**

The pinkette was just as surprised; not only could one see those kisses, Homura also knew where it was... and somehow, the fact that there were all those various reactions ot the mere mentioning of a kiss that she was a bit afraid of what she might see.

However, her friend did as she was asked and loosened her bowtie; following that, she pushed the cloth on her neck away as far as it went and turned around, albeit with a slight blush. On the skin right at the opening, there was a strange mark glowing and writhing around ever so slightly. It was a circle complete in purple, with a red flower within. The others said nothing, but the pinkette could see Mami's grave expression, Kyoko's curiousity and Homura's raised eyebrow.

"What is it? What does it look like? Come on, tell me at least something!"

However, it was Candeloro who spoke next. The doll leaped onto the table with the rustling of cloth before softly touching the blunette, which prompted her to flinch. "Hey!"

"Hm... it feels a bit strange, really. Lilly, what did you do with that? It's dormant..."

"Huh? Um... Candel, what do you mean?"

"Simple, Mami."

The raven-haired Witch rolled her eyes and motioned towards Sayaka, who was still turned around. Madoka eyed all of this without knowing what to say. "Us Witches regularly use only one command. One command, to be executed as fast as possible. However, I just left Miki Sayaka with this. So far, it seems to be sustained by herself; at least as long as I don't give her an order."

"Oi, what..."

"Be quiet."

The blunette's angry question was cut short by Yuri's commanding voice... and she really kept quiet, which was absolutely not what she would normally do. And the mark on her back suddenly started glowing brighter. Now Madoka understood what this meant and recoiled in shock.

"Y-You mean... you're mind-controlling Sayaka-chan?!"

Her words had Yuri shrug. "Something like that, yes. Although I left most of her free will intact. Humans are boring if they act like puppets... but I have to admit, getting her to shut up like this is a really nice thing."

She did not sound remorseful at all; as she spoke however, Sayaka turned around and glared at the Witch again, who just smirked and took another sip of her tea. Madoka could only stare; how could it be that something like this happened to her friend of all people?

Before she came to ask however, Mami did. To top it off, the blonde wore a deep frown and seemed as displeased with the situation as the blunette was herself. "Now I really wonder why you did that, Yuri-san. I do remember that you promised not to attack humans."

"Um... Mami?"

Candel was reluctantly looking backwards, as far as a doll without actual eyes could give off that impression at least. She still stood on the table and had everyone turn to her by speaking up. "I don't think that this counts as attacking. Sayaka is fine, see? Lilly is just mean as usual and you never mind if she is."

The older girl slowly raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, although the frown lessened a bit. Madoka did not dare to interrupt and the other Magical Girls seemed to think the same. As for Sayaka... she still appeared unable to speak and really annoyed about it.

"So you say I should just tolerate her mind-controlling other people for as long as she does not tell them to kill themselves?"

The last part hit her unexpectedly. This was the order they mentioned before?

Sayaka gasped in surprise, just as the pinkette did as well before staring at the human-shaped Witch. However, Yuri rolled her eyes and continued to drink her tea. Candeloro slightly deflated and lowered her arms. "But Lilly said she's fine..."

She had a lot of trust in the other eldritch being, who sighed and put down her cup. Besides the fact that she currently held her childhood friend's life in her hands, Madoka found that she did have a certain air of strength around her. Homura had that as well, but it was a bit different still. She could not really put it, but it was awe-inspiring.

 _Why... why am I thinking that she's cool right now? I should be worrying over Sayaka-chan!_

That she should indeed... but Yuri said that she would not hurt the blunette...

"Um..."

She was not sure whether it was alright to chime into their discussion, but there was something the girl wanted to know. The moment she spoke up and thus broke the silence, heads turned to her and she ducked out of instinct under all those experienced gazes. "It's just... why did you do that to begin with? I mean..."

Before she could elaborate however, a smirk from the Witch had her stop and lower her head. So that was a stupid question after all...

"Now I wonder, ladies: why is Kaname-san over there the smartest person in this room right now?"

"Huh?"

This was not what she expected to hear. Madoka really thought that the raven-haired girl would make fun of her now. As it seemed, she was wrong; additionally, everyone else looked back and forth between the two of them and the redhead... Kyoko's eyes narrowed. "Oi, what's with that all of a sudden?"

"Because Lilly has been waiting for exactly that question. I know that you did, but I was waiting for their discussion to finish", Homura added with a motion for Mami and Candel. The doll jumped down from the table in the meantime, coming to sit right next to the blond Magical Girl. However, the third-year seemed at a loss. "Well... I guess you are right, Homura-san."

Then her eyes returned to the Witch with a quizzical note... only to be ignored. Yuri... or Lilly, whichever it was now... she went to return Madoka's gaze. Hers of all people, though most likely because it was also her who asked. But then again... why would it be important to ask that particular question? It just would not add up for her to enchant someone without doing anything afterwards. She did not seem like someone who did that for fun, either...

"Now to answer your question: I have abilities that allow me to easily understand humans; because I do, I know the exact one person in this room that would shatter from becoming a Magical Girl in weeks. Following that understanding, I made her unable to form a contract with Kyubey under any circumstance."

 _H-Huh... uh... so... she says that she is... protecting... Sayaka-chan?_

Her friend appeared to just get angrier over the explanation, but Madoka only lowered her head in thought. Everyone seemed to trust Yuri's word, so could she do that as well?

Then however, something from before came back to her mind and the pinkette looked up. "So... is Sayaka-chan's strange behaviour from before because of your Kiss, too?"

"Hm? What kind of behaviour?"

Now the Witch looked confused... so that was not because of her?  
"She became more attentive in class."

Homura cast a glance at the eldritch being next to her, who tilted her head in thought. "Oh, did she now... hm."

Purple eyes wandered over to the blunette, who just stared back angrily. "I told her to be more diligent yesterday, although I didn't think it would last. Well, whatever, I will just leave that in place; as if it would be a problem for you to get better grades... besides, you can speak now. But no shouting."

 **. . .**

Mami was conflicted. She knew that Miki could be rather stubborn, but was something like that really necessary? Yuri had been right with a lot of things so far, so the blonde was inclined to believe her. Still... especially with her obvious and undeniable grudge against the blunette, should she really have her way? It seemed more like a form of revenge than anything else...

"I don't care what you did that for. Take it off right _now_!"

Miki really did not shout, just as she was told. The anger and resentment could be heard from her voice, though... and she put a lot of emphasis on the last few words especially. Mami knew that it was futile to argue with Mortal World's Witch like that; she had tried the very same thing a few weeks earlier, only to find herself outmaneuvered again. The only way to convince her of someone else's opinion was to discuss it with her.

It was the same right now: Yuri just tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "How about now. What's your point anyway? Nothing you do will be affected by it and the only reason you even know about it is because your friend would worry way too much if she found out by herself."

This had Kaname perk up for a moment there, although she returned to looking around in concern a few moments later. The blonde sighed inwardly... and then her gaze met an unreadable red. Both Magical Girls stopped for a moment and shame rose up within her. However, Kyoko was the first to avert her gaze. On the other hand, it was also her who spoke... and thereby stopped Miki from doing something stupid, apparently; the blunette showed signs of standing up.

"Out of curiousity, Yuri... why her of all people? I'd understand the pink girl with that awful lot of potential and stuff... but her?"

Now both regular girls stopped in surprise and Kaname cast a glance at the redhead. "Um... me?"

Right, there had been her powerful potential as well. Mami could feel it pulsating even around the gentle girl, something which was apparently unprecedented. Yuri nodded at the pinkette and went to answer the question she was given: "Because Kaname Madoka will, in difference to Miki Sayaka, not jump at a contract that is guaranteed to destroy her life the moment she is given the chance. And don't give me that look", she added after receiving another murderous glare from the blunette. "You're one of those fools that believe in heroic deeds being recognised. Now listen closely: there are no heroes among the Magical Girls. There are only those that survive and those that haven't yet gone far enough to break."

She said that with a slight edge Mami was sure to have heard. Unfortunately though, she had to agree with the Witch on this point; she always saw herself as one of the few kind veterans... and even she would never use the term "hero". Mami knew she was broken and just wanted to give it her all anyway. She protected her territory, destroyed others that sought to harass the people of Mitakihara... no, she was definitely not a hero. Additionally, there was Kyoko... a girl who once shared quite a few of the blunette's views. The death of her family put an end to that and now she was broken just as well, her former kindness washed away like a layer of dirt. However, she seemed at least the slightest bit sympathetic over what was said right now. Maybe she understood that the younger girl to her right was not so different from how she used to be?

 _And then there is Homura-san..._

Magical Girl Akemi Homura, the time traveler. If anything, her goals and intentions were the most noble from all of them. Mami pieced it together by now, although none of them mentioned it to her directly; the raven-haired girl went back in time to save Kaname Madoka. She endured many of those failures and became the cold being she was today... but her determination remained unbroken. This was something the blonde admired. To be able to carry on nonetheless... that was something she was most likely unable to.

"So, Miki Sayaka, if you can't make an argument that convinces me of taking my Kiss from you, we are done here. Besides, I won't accept something on the lines of 'I promise I won't do it'."

Over the example, Yuri made her voice sound higher, as if trying a mocking parody of the blunette's voice. Miki just growled angrily and her hands clenched into fists; Mami was already worried about a fight breaking out. However, a reluctant voice stopped the second-year from attacking: "Um... can you make a promise... Akemi-san?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, Madoka?"

The pinkette slowly looked to the side and regarded her friend with an apologeptic gaze. "I'm sorry, Sayaka-chan... but I think she is right. I know you long enough to tell... so..."

With those words, her eyes wandered back to the Witch, who waited for where this was going. Mami was curious as well and apparently, so were Kyoko and Homura. Even Candel stretched her legs to get a better view.

"Um... if you promise to never have Sayaka-chan do anything against her will, I'm okay with it."

This was a major surprise to all of them... sans Yuri, as usual. Or maybe the human-shaped Witch was surprised as well, but managed to keep it from showing on her face. Miki looked more and more disbelieving while casting glances around and Kyoko... appeared amused about the whole situation. The redhead started to pull a box of chocolates out of her pocket; so she would have a snack and Mami did not really mind.

"If you disregard the times I already did that so far, I can make this promise. And no, Miki; I did not put a Kiss on her."

That silenced the blunette, who eyed the Witch with a surprised look. Of course, Yuri was easily capable to understand those around her... so of course she could practically read their mind and react before the respective action had happened. Kyoko raised an eyebrow while chomping down on another piece of her sweets; now the blonde actually figured that at least a small explanation should be given, so she spoke up with a short nod towards the raven-haired girl. "You have to understand, Yuri-san is very adapt in understanding people. She can predict one's actions from that knowledge."

This only made the eldritch being smirk and exchange a glance with her.

 _Did I... tell them something I should not have?_

There was always the possibility of her doing something wrong because Yuri rarely spoke about her plans in advance, especially when the respective person was not directly involved. However, her friend went to nod at Kaname a moment later. "Although it's significantly less entertaining once they learned that I'm not actually reading their mind. The worst judge of a human being's character is the respective being themself; I'm aware of that and apparently, so are you."

The pinkette nodded slightly, albeit a bit cowed for some reason. Maybe because she could guess Yuri's actual power a bit more accurately now. "I think... I understand what you mean. So... yes, I am fine with how things are."

And so it all worked out after all... except for Miki, but Mami had to agree with her companion's assessment of the blunette's character. It was a grudging agreement, but the blonde could not deny Yuri's reasoning.

"Okay, fine. You stay here and make friends with those guys, I'm out."  
 _Huh?_

Before Mami could come out of her stupor over the sudden outburst -although still without a raised voice-, the girl already got to her feet and stormed out of the room. The door could be heard opening and closing a moment later while the remaining girls looked at each other. Kyoko smirked again, as did Yuri... Homura showed no reaction while Kaname was shocked and sad... so the Magical Girl decided to lighten up her mood a bit: "You should give her some time, Kaname-san. Once she notices that there is really no difference to before, she will definitely realise that it was the right choice."

"Huh... I guess so..."

She did not seem to feel any better, which made Mami sigh inwardly.

 **. . .**

Kyoko on her part was really interested in this whole mess. Not that she wondered why Yuri would stop a girl like that one from forming a contract; the redhead made the very same mistake long ago, so seeing someone that was so much like her past self being saved from it made her feel a bit strange. Relieved... for some reason.

The redhead shook it off and forced her mind to return to the topic at hand. This Witch was planning something bigger, even she could see that.

"Ahem... I... guess we forgot something."

However, Mami's voice had Kyoko snap out of her thoughts. The blonde was casting glances around before focussing on her, which made the Magical Girl feel a bit uncomfortable. The feeling seemed to be mutual, though. "Kaname-san, this is Sakura Kyoko from Kazamino city. Kyoko... this is Kaname Madoka, a second-year from our school."

Introductions it was... actually, to hell with it. The other girl at least tried, so the redhead took the hint and put on a smirk. "Nice t'meet you."

Pink eyes regarded her with confusion for a moment, then the greeting was returned a bit hastily: "Y-yes, likewise."

A shy one... really, where did Mami find all those girls?

"Additionally", Homura added with a motion for Yuri, "this is Homulilly; although we call her Yuri on most occasions."

The eldritch being only bowed slightly before leaning back. "Yes, that you do. It would be a hassle to be called by my actual name in public... besides, Candel?"

While Kyoko still wondered over the rather strange name, the doll practically jumped to her feet over the casual mentioning of her name. "Yes?"

Yuri cast a smile her way. "You should eat a lot for the next few days. I have a few more ideas to put to the test and I want your help with that."

This Madoka-girl was still looking around with a mixture of confusion and curiousity while the Magical Girls went to look at the Witches. Candeloro jumped onto the table with a joyful "Okay!" and Kyoko wondered if it was really this easy to motivate her. She seemed happy as it was, although the redhead figured that this was because this doll valued her 'friends' a whole lot. Not that she was picky about the people she befriended, but why should a Witch make sense to her?

Kyoko just rolled her eyes for a moment, then went to chug down her tea. However, the noise made at least Mami cast another glance her way. Oh, not good... she still had to get an idea on what to say to the blonde. There was definitely not much time left.

"And what exactly are you planning this time around, Lilly?"

That was Homura, who seemed mostly curious. Or was there a slight edge in her voice? She was actually not sure; that girl was far less expressive than her sister, who continued to smirk and put a hand on her cheek. Or maybe she just tried to give off that devious expression deliberately...

"I wonder. What else if not creating a barrier?"

 _Uh... wait. WaitWaitWait. She can do that?_

So far, the Witch never showed signs of either creating a barrier or wanting to do it... or not being able to; the redhead never really thought about it that much. Going by Mami's surprised gasp and Homura's raised eyebrow though, she really could not do it before. Yuri just raised an eyebrow and slowly lowered her hand. Madoka looked around and seemed at a loss; did that girl not even know what a barrier was?

"What are you so surprised for? I still can't make one, but I do remember how it should go... and Candel actually has her original body instead of a human shell, so she might be able to do it. Which means that the two of us will figure out a way."

"But... why would you need a barrier to begin with?"

Mami beat her to it there; Kyoko actually wanted to ask the same thing. As far as she knew, those realms were only for trapping people inside and to hide from Magical Girls. Those two needed neither of them... right? But then again, why was Yuri averting her gaze and Candel slowly lowering her ribbons?

Surprisingly, it was the doll speaking: "I was so busy making friends until now that I did not even notice... but I can understand how Lilly feels. This realm we're in is yours, not ours... you... I... I... uh, this is so difficult to describe..."

This made no sense... okay, the doll was not finished yet, but still...

However, Yuri took over when Candel stopped in thought, her voice devoid of emotion. "Do you feel safe at times? When you're wrapped in a warm blanket, tucked away from the world with the feeling that everything is alright... that you're safe and nothing can hurt you? This feeling is what our barriers are connected to. No Witch can feel entirely safe without one."

She still did not look any of them in the eye... and the redhead got an idea for the reason; Yuri was admitting a weakness, something she did not do so far.

However, her words touched something deep within Kyoko. She remembered that feeling, although it had been absent for a long time now. This was how she felt back then, before everything went to hell... metaphorically and literally. If it was really that particular feeling the Witches lacked, then the redhead could understand why they were so interested in creating a barrier. She rarely noticed that it was amiss before; once it came to the girl's attention however, she always recalled a few bits of her past. It was never nice.

 _I see..._

And apparently, so did the others. Homura's expression was still blank, but Mami and Madoka had lowered their gazes onto the table. The blonde nodded slightly after a few more seconds. "I... see. If you both feel that way, I will say nothing against it. Just... be careful, would you?"

Yuri returned a nod of her own and lowered her head. "Of course we will."

 **. . .**

 _I can't believe it!_

Not only did those creatures really exist, one of them even put her under a spell and _mind-controlled_ her for crying out loud... but no, Madoka was even okay with that!

She was at a loss. Her best friend just stabbed her in the back in the worst way possible and Sayaka was seething with anger; unfortunately, there was just nothing coming to mind... what should she do about it?

The blunette was not yet at the point where she would start hitting things or people, but it would not take much more until she reached that state. She felt so powerless, having realised that this Witch could control her every action if she wanted. Just... what could one do in a situation like this?

The farther she walked, the more her anger subsided and rational thought returned to her mind. However, there was still no solution she could think of; was the situation really that hopeless?

When the girl crossed one of the larger bridges, her thoughts had finally come to a stop and she went to lean on the railing. Blue eyes were cast to the horizon in wonder. Maybe if she could convince this Witch to take this thing off of her... but would that even work when she was able to read people just like that? Now Sayaka would definitely form this contract, if just to pay her back for what she did.

But how should that happen when the Kiss stopped her from doing it?

A pained sigh escaped her and the girl slumped down a bit, closing her eyes and feeling the slight gust of air that came by.

Her moment of silence and thought was interrupted, though: the tapping noises of another person walking on the metal walkway made the blunette raise her head... and find a girl walking past her, clad in the same uniform she wore. She might be a bit younger though, so it was most likely a first year. Once she noticed the slightly darker colour of her sweater, Sayaka knew that this was actually the case.

However, her eyes were dull and she paid no attention to the blunette while shuffling past her.

 _What the..._

Something was wrong with the younger one, she could easily see that. A moment after this brunette walked past her though, the tomboy found a strange mark writhing on her neck. Realisation filled her in an instant and she looked around in shock. There was a Witch... and she had this girl under control.

There was nothing to be seen however; also, the girl turned towards the railing a few meters down the walkway. When she placed her hands on it and started to bend her knees, Sayaka's brain finally puzzled together what she saw right now... and sent her running.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

The younger one wanted to jump!

Instead of just taking her arm -because that would not have been enough-, the blunette took a leap and jumped the other middle-schooler, who went to the ground with a lifeless gasp. Emotionless eyes looked up at her while Sayaka had her pinned to the ground to prevent anything dangerous.

"Let go... I have to end this... I'm worthless."

"Stop saying that!", she screamed at the girl, who started to thrash around with a surprising amount of strength. She was not weak herself, but the blunette knew that she could only hold her down for so long... so she used her weight to pin the first-year down further and freed one of her arms. Sayaka might be grudging, but there was a life in danger and she already knew she could not do anything.

 **. . .**

Conversation never really flared up. Kyoko and Mami kept stealing glances at each other, Lilly seemed to muse... Homura did not really care for the rather awkward atmosphere, though. She paid no mind to it and pondered something as well; while she did, Candel kept Madoka busy in conversation over cake and stuffed animals. The pinkette seemed a bit reluctant to talk about topics like those at first, but appeared to warm up to them after a while. Until her cellphone rung, that was.

The sudden noise had the tension between the other two veteran Magical Girls break, seeing that they looked over to Madoka; her friend in turn glanced down at the display and uttered a surprised "Huh?". Her eyes had this surprised spark she got at times and the time traveler cast her eyes over as well.

The regular girl did not even realise that all eyes were on her. She just snapped her cellphone open and took the call.

"Hello, Sayaka-chan?"

So it was the blunette... which was a bit strange. Going by her regular behaviour in the other timelines, she should be sulking at least until the next day. Seeing that Lilly's eyes narrowed, her Witch thought the same. Two pairs of purple eyes met and the two nodded at each other. Something was off... again.

"Huh? W-What?!... Okay, I will. Just... be careful, yes?... Okay."

Now they had their proof of something not being right. Madoka snapped her cellphone shut and looked at them with fear in her eyes. "Sayaka-chan says she found another girl with a Witch's Kiss. They're at the northern bridge... um..."

"In that case...", Mami started, but was interrupted by Lilly: "No. You won't go there."

Surprised gazes went towards the human-shaped Witch, who got to her feet after emptying her cup. "Homura and I will take care of that. You two can go and do something else."

That went for both the blonde and Kyoko... so her sister went to resolve that problem while she was it.

"Kaname-san, you should go to the bridge as well. Candel will go with you, so you should be fine no matter what."

"Uh... okay."

The pinkette did not seem opposed to going with the doll, who eagerly jumped onto her shoulder. The other veterans exchanged a glance and Mami nodded slightly; so it was decided.

 _I doubt that Lilly actually wants to be the leader... but she does well in filling the position._

Mortal World's Witch was simply doing what was necessary. Seeing that everyone accepted her orders and decisions, this might be a step in the right direction. For now however, they had to get to the bridge... that very bridge where it all began so long ago.


	47. Avert the Inevitable III

This situation was a bit strange. Not just because she was now alone with Mami, though; however, the fact that the blonde actually accepted Yuri's command and remained here instead of rushing to that other girl's aid surprised Kyoko quite a bit. She did not expect it from her former mentor.

"You sure that's fine with you?"

She could easily see the reluctance in those yellow orbs. Still, the redhead had to ask; she was that baffled. Mami on her part nodded after a moment before lowering her gaze again... it was like that ever since the others left; the awkward silence had grown so heavy that Kyoko started to feel really uncomfortable. What did the other girl expect from her?

"I... I am sorry, Sakura-san."

 _Huh?_

Did she really hear that? It was little more than a faint whisper, but the redhead was sure this was not her imagination. The blond girl looked up to meet her surprised gaze with a sad one. "I am really sorry. Some things should have never happened, the two of us falling out being one of them. I know you had your reasons to push me away... but I should have known not to let go. Back then, I was too narrow-minded and arrogant to actually understand."

This became less and less real; Was Tomoe Mami actually apologising to _her_? Even when it was Kyoko who ended their cooperation with the direct threat of violence? Just what exactly did this Witch do to the other veteran to bring forth such change?

Taking her silence as a cue to continue, Mami let out a weak sigh and clasped her hands together on the table. "I still do not approve of the methods I know you are using today, but I will not criticise you for them, either. In exchange, I hope you can do the same."

This prompted the redhead to let out the air she did not even realise she was holding. "So... you're saying that you're fine with each of us doing thing's her own way? Heh, just what exactly did Yuri tell you?"

The Mami she knew back then would never, ever think about changing her ways. It was admirable in its own way, but also one of the reasons of Kyoko figuring that they would never get along again. For some reason, her question only earned her a slight blush on the other Magical Girl's cheeks; Mami averted her eyes and started to play around with her Soul Gem. "Yuri-san has been very blunt with me; I think I needed that."

Okay, now she knew that there was something being withheld from her. As influential and knowledgeable as Yuri was, just that was definitely not enough to convince this girl in front of her to change her views. If it was, Kyoko would have tried that long ago.

 _I call bullshit._

However, she would not say that out loud. The blonde's embarassment was openly visible and she would not dig deeper right now. Maybe later, though... or she could just ask the Witch responsible.

"Okay. Now one more thing: how did she manage to even talk to you without you killing her off?"

 **. . .**

The blush would still not vanish from her cheeks. Mami continued to look at the table while desperately trying to get her thoughts in order. How should she even respond to this question? It would be a problem if her tongue slipped and Kyubey found out what was going on... but not saying anything might prompt Kyoko to turn away again.

Taking a deep breath, the Magical Girl had her shoulders slump down. She was done pretending for today... under the redhead's baffled expression, Mami came to rest on the table; while carefully avoiding knocking over her cup, the blonde just remained there.

"I am not sure I am allowed to tell you. Yuri-san made it very clear that we have to be careful with what we tell whom... can you promise me to never mention anything I tell you to Kyubey?"

"Uh... Mami, you alright?"

There was concern in Kyoko's voice... but she just could not get herself together. It felt so much better to not have to play the confident senior all the time... especially around a friend, which this girl definitely was.

"Mhm... I am."

Although her current position might say something else. Still, the redhead nodded and looked down on her with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, if you say so. Besides, I won't tell Kyubey anything, so spill the beans."

This brought her lips to curl into a small smile and Mami at least rose back up into a sitting position again. "Very well."

 **. . .**

Sayaka had no actual idea of how much time passed, but she suddenly found two raven-haired girls standing right next to her. Thankfully for everyone involved, no one else crossed the bridge during the time between her calling Madoka and the Akemis arriving. Although she was still angry over what happened before, the blunette put that aside for the moment; saving this girl was more important right now, especially because she was still trying to wiggle out of her grasp.

One of the girls looked down at them with a blank expression, the other with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. So at least she knew which one was Yuri and which one was Homura.

"You can let go of her now."

That was the Witch, who averted her gaze from the two girls on the ground and looked around. Sayaka did not like doing what she wanted, but her arms became tired and the younger girl she held onto seemed to fight on with ever more strength. Just where did she take that from?

When the blunette let go however, the girl quickly got to her feet... and was knocked out by Homura, who hit her in the neck with a measured gesture. Then the Magical Girl catched the limp body before lowering it to the ground. Seeing that made the tomboy wonder if this really was necessary... but hey, better unconcious than jumping. Sayaka slowly got to her feet while Yuri nodded and cast a glance at them. "The Artist Witch put up a trap around here. Kaname-san and Candel will take... a few more minutes. Any objections to killing her off right now?"

The nonchalant explanation had her shiver a bit, but this was something the middle schooler could not really do anything about. Still, there was one thing she wondered about...

"Hey... if you kill the Witch... does the Kiss vanish?"

Two sets of purple turned her way and Yuri smirked again. "Yes, it does. You shouldn't get any stupid ideas, though; killing a Witch is not possible for a mere human."

That... did she mean that Sayaka thought about killing her? Of course, that was a possibility... but she had no time to even think about it right now. However, knowing that this girl would be alright after the eldritch being was gone made the blunette relax a bit. "Yeah, fine. I wasn't asking because of that, you know?"

"Of course I know."

They went to stare at each other for a few seconds and this amused sparkle in Yuri's eyes made her blood boil again... however, she calmed herself with as much willpower as she could muster. Oh, how much she would like to just punch her in the face...

"What are you waiting for? If you can kill this thing, then do it!"

Now the two other girls exchanged glances among each other before Homura motioned to follow her. The small group wandered a few meters before the raven-haired girl raised her hand, where a purple gem appeared. One flash of light later, her outfit had completely changed and left Sayaka with surprise. _That_ was how it worked?

However, her surprised look was either not noticed or ignored. Homura raised her hand a bit further and had a circle appear in midair... which contained some sort of deformed art. Really, this looked strange and disturbing...

"Come on inside. You will get to see something interesting."

Yuri almost pushed her forward, so much force was in the hand on her back; Sayaka quickly shook her off and went by herself. She would not let this girl have her way.

However, she stopped dead in her tracks when they were inside the barrier. Madoka already told her that Witches were hiding in these things... but seeing one was entirely different. It looked as if she stumbled into a fantasy-landscape, modeled after a nightmare: the floor suddenly consisted of pieces of art placed together one after the other; it led far into the distance towards an orange horizon, with white lines that barely resembled clouds. Several tower-like shapes of a dozen meters sprouted out of the ground in the distance, some of them having one or two smaller bars growing out of their sides... were those supposed to be trees?

 _Artist Witch my butt... even I can draw better than that._

Right after thinking that, Sayaka realised that she was surprisingly calm right now. Should she not be... scared or intimidated?

"Besides, you should be glad for having my Kiss, Miki; if you didn't, you would have fallen under her spell as well."

"Yeah, thanks. I'm so happy."

The words came almost instinctively and the blunette returned to her sour mood from before; now that the other girl was more or less safe, she could return to being grumpy. However, Yuri just ignored her and took a few steps forward. Homura remained behind Sayaka, who wondered what they were doing now. Then she noticed a pair of strange creatures walking towards them, caricatures of human beings that looked as if they consisted of lumps of flesh. With them came a disgusting smell that had her recoil and cower with a hand over her nose. Neither of her companions seemed to be affected by it... although the Witch looked back over the blunette's strangled noise.

"Well... I guess you get the idea of how humans smell to me now."

Her words prompted Sayaka to glare upwards, but Yuri already turned back to the creatures... which had stopped and seemed to eye her in return. What did that mean?

Before she could think of an answer to that question however, the human-shaped Witch took a deep breath; following that, a gust of purple fire spew from her face right over the ground and onto those wobbly things... and they started to burn with pained screeches. The ugly scent vanished quickly as they turned into ash... but the fire did not die out; no, it started to spread over the ground and quickly reached them as well. Sayaka was taken by surprise and only managed to close her eyes and lower her head, awaiting the heat to meet her skin... but nothing happened. The crackling of something burning was all around her and it suddenly got warmer, yes; however, it was more like standing in the sun on a normal day as opposed to the rather cold air this barrier had so far.

Slowly opening her eyes, the blunette found herself surrounded by fire. It touched her all around, but the feeling was really just one of warmth instead of what she expected. Surprised blue looked all around, seeing everything else turning to ash not long after being touched by the flames. Homura and Yuri stood with her still, the former looking around in the inferno and the latter just taking a seat on the blackened ground. Witch and human were facing each other now, with the eldritch being smirking again; although this was difficult to see through the fire all around them. Actually, why was it towering so high? Looking up, Sayaka realised that everything was on fire, even the air around them. How could they still breathe?

"My fire has the unique capability of only burning magic. A regular person such as you won't be harmed by it."

"Uh... huh..."

More screeching and screaming became audible a bit into the distance, where a rather elaborately drawn arc just caught fire. Hearing this made Yuri's smirk widen. "Izabel really is a tasteless Witch, but even those can get dangerous."

Seeing what happened around her, Sayaka slowly came to understand. This being in front of her was truly not human... however, everyone claimed that she was on their side... how should they even know that for certain? What made them so sure that they would not end up burning like toast as well?

 _Okay, Akemi looks as if she can't get burned... wait a second, why's that?_

That made no sense, especially when Yuri said that it burned magic just before. Maybe... she meant that it burned _most_ magic?

But still... she did help this girl when there was absolutely no need to... so maybe she...

 _No. I'm not thinking that. She's a Witch, she's mind-controlling_ me _... she can't be a good person, she can't._

She would remain with that opinion, no matter what.

 **. . .**

The silence between them was a bit awkward. However, talking to Candel did not seem possible right now, at least not for Madoka. There were people around and it would look really strange if she started a conversation with the bag she carried. At least the pinkette could finally understand how they brought the doll from one place to another without her being seen.

However, Madoka was still wondering about all of this. Was it really the right decision to accept what happened to her friend? Yes, she knew that Sayaka would take this contract without hesitation if given a good reason to... but now she was mad at her.

 _Still... I'm sorry, Sayaka-chan... but I would rather have you hate me than being drawn into this..._

Her decision in that regard was rather reluctant, but she realised that this was indeed the better option just a few moments ago. Yuri promised to not have her friend do anything against her will, so she would believe her.

The middle-schooler continued to walk through the streets of Mitakihara, with the amount of people around her decreasing as she went. The northern bridge was one of the longer ways to get around the city by foot, so not many passerby's took this route; Madoka was quite glad about it right now. Seeing that she was on her way towards an eldritch abomination, it would be bad if other people were there.

Once there was no one else closeby, the pinkette reluctantly glanced down at the bag she carried.

 _I wonder..._

A slender hand gently poked the cloth. "Candel-chan?"

She never got the chance to talk to the doll before after all... so now might be as good a time as any. Her question prompted the zipper to be drawn back a little bit; something yellow could be seen behind and Candeloro obviously looked up at her. "Yes?"

But... what to talk about? What could she say to start a conversation with a Witch?

"Um... you see... it's just, I... um... we never got the chance to talk to each other, so..."

"Oh, I see!"

The cheerful response brought a small smile to her lips; one could just not stay moody with her around. However, the eldritch being seemed to have far less problems in conversing; she just started to talk after widening the opening a bit more. "I'm really happy to be around so many people, you know? It feels nice to have everyone around and I want to make more friends!"

Madoka on her part giggled over hearing this. Yes, her companion was a really lovely one... which made her wonder why her and Yuri were apparently the only acceptable Witches. Or maybe there were more and she just had no idea?

"Mhm... say, Candel-chan... um... could you tell me why you're the only Witches working with Mami-san and Homura-chan? I mean... wouldn't it be better if everyone got along?"

Her voice was filled with reluctance and curiousity, but the doll's heavy sigh made her suspect that she hit a landmine right now.

 _Great, Madoka... of all the topics you can choose..._

"They're all insane."

"H-Huh?"  
This... was not the response she expected. Not at all. However, Candel went to gently pat her hand, the one Madoka kept on the bag to steady it. It felt at least a bit reassuring, although the sensation of cloth rolling over her skin was a bit strange. "I spoke about that with Lilly before, actually. Every Witch is insane, the two of us are just far less insane than the others; that's the whole difference."

She said it as if those beings that were actually hunting humans had not so much difference to them... but how could that be? Mami assured them that they were alright, so greater similarities could not really be possible... or maybe there was something the pinkette did not understand properly?

"Um... I see... but... you seem fairly normal to me... I mean, except for that you're a doll and... um..."

The girl continued to stutter, still wondering how to handle this being she carried around. She had no idea... however, her little friend seemed to have a better grasp on the topic.

"Please don't mistake either of us for humans, Madoka. As much as I love your kind and want to be friends with them, even I know that I'm not like you; I value those around me and would never want to see them hurt... and Lilly thinks that they aren't worth her attention. Each of us is different... uh... you should talk with her about this kind of thing. I still don't really get it... I can just tell you how I feel about it."

She sounded unhappy while saying it, although the pinkette could not really guess the reason. She kept quiet and continued to watch the mixture of blue, red and yellow that Candel's body was made of. "I see... thank you for telling me that much, though."

Madoka smiled down at the doll, who kept quiet for a moment; then she nodded and gently squeezed her hand once more. "Don't mention it. We're friends after all."

Yes, that was right. So there was a new friend she made just like that... the thought made her smile widen and added a cheerful spring to her walking.

 **. . .**

"Okay..."

She figured that it was alright to let on about a few key events, such as her meeting Homura and getting to know Yuri. Kyoko was listening quietly, giving her the time she needed to sort her memories and feelings; however, Mami was rather sure that the redhead noticed certain informations missing. She never mentioned the time travel or the last timeline directly... so the part where she already met her former junior remained unspoken as well. The blonde spoke about how they went hunting together, over the conversation in the midst of night and until the realisation of what Akemi Yuri actually was.

Still, Kyoko kept quiet and thought about what she was told. At the same time, Mami did not manage to meet those red eyes just yet. Recalling this last timeline she saw had the guilt return as well; it burned in her heart and made it hurt as if someone pierced it with a sharp needle.

"I... guess you already noticed that I did not tell you everything, Sakura-san... but this is just not possible right now. I think I already broke my promise not to let on about what I know, so... I hope you can accept this to be it for now."

Yuri would be really, really angry at her if she destroyed her whole plan by giving out too much. Mami might have already done it... but she just could not keep all of this to herself; she felt obligated to tell the other Magical Girl at least a bit to make up for what she did before.

Kyoko on her part responded after a moment: "Yeah, I can see that. How's that Kyubey didn't notice anything so far?"

She kept quiet, sadly shaking her head and pressing her lips together. It only prompted an understanding "Oh, right" and the redhead returned to being quiet.

Neither of them spoke for a while, the silence surrounding them with increasing awkwardness once again. However, she had to wait for her old friend's judgement. And should they reach a point where it was alright to let on about what happened... she had to confess her sin. It would be on her mind forever otherwise, tormenting her conscience until she could no longer take it.

"Alright, I think I got the hang of it. Besides... um... y'know, Mami..."

 _Huh?_

She had an odd sense of déjà-vu right now. This was about exactly the same wording Kyoko used when they had this kind of conversation in the last timeline. Hearing it again made her cringe. In this very moment, Mami realised what these endless loops meant to Homura; to see the same things time and time again, to have the same conversations over and over, being the only one to know it. Realising this only made her aching heart hurt more.

Looking up, the blonde found Kyoko having averted her gaze. It was a good thing, so that she could not see the tears in the corners of her eyes... Mami quickly wiped them away.

"Um... well, sorry, I guess. For being a jerk back then."

She just smiled and shook her head now. Trying to give off a positive attitude and at least partly succeeding, the Magical Girl sighed inwardly. "Both of us made mistakes, so it should be fine. Coincidentally, Sakura-san... I bought too many groceries yesterday... um... would you like to join us for dinner?"

It was a weak excuse and both of them knew it. However, Kyoko just nodded with a smirk and showed her a thumbs up. "Sure thing. You know I'll never pass on a free meal."

That she did... and still, the throbbing in her chest would not stop. Mami made a mental note to check her Soul Gem as fast as she could get a moment for herself. All these negative feelings might have tainted it quite a bit.

"Besides... what's that with you and Yuri?"  
And going by the teasing smirk the blonde got to see now, this might become a really uncomfortable afternoon...

 **. . .**

When Madoka and Candeloro reached the bridge, they saw a group of three people standing on the walkway; two raven-haired girls and a blunette, the latter bowed over someone on the ground. Seeing this made the pinkette hurry up to meet them. Her steps were heard and both Yuri as well as Homura turned around... whoever was who, she had no idea. The doll in her bag might be able to tell them apart, though; however, she could not just ask Candel, seeing that the girl Sayaka tended to regained conciousness and got up with a confused look. Madoka only barely made it in time and kept breathing heavily for a few seconds, gasping for air after her short sprint.

"Huh? What was I..."

The girl wore a Mitakihara Middle School uniform, the model for first-years; she was one of her juniors.

The younger one cast a glance at the railing to her side and her eyes widened in shock. Before anything else could happen however, one Akemi's -she was still not sure which one it was- calm voice cut into the silence: "We found you passed out right here and our friend tended to you while you were out. I don't know what made you collapse, but you should go see a doctor just in case."

The first-year listened with her pupils slowly returning to normal width, then she nodded slightly. "Uh... yes, I guess I should."

She got to her feet, as did the blunette that had been sitting by her side. Following that, the younger one bowed deeply. "Thank you for watching over me."

Sayaka just waved it off with a giggle. "Don't mention it."

Madoka on her part had to suppress a giggle of her own, regarding how flustered her friend was over being thanked like that. Seeing that Yuri looked her way with a smirk on her face, she might be just as amused. This had to be her; after all, the Magical Girl did not smirk like that. The pinkette smiled back and nodded slightly while Homura continued where her Witch left off: "It's rather late, though. You should get home."

"Uh... ah! You're right, senpai!"  
The girl almost jumped in shock after taking a look at her wristwatch. She quickly bowed again and went to run off. "I'm sorry, but I have to go; it's my turn making dinner!"

And there she went. Madoka and Sayaka waved after her while the Akemi's just exchanged a glance. Yuri shrugged and spoke up once the other middle-schooler was out of sight: "So? Is there anything else that should be done or can we go home?"

This made the two regular people look back at her, Madoka with a wondering and Sayaka with a pondering expression. Her childhood friend did seem at least calmer than before; that was something. Still, the pinkette got the feeling that it would take some time until they were back to how they were before.

 **. . .**

In all honesty, Lilly did not even expect the fool to ever accept what was done to her; not that she cared one bit for it, though. It was just an observation.

She already spoke about it with her sister just before. They would have those two walk home by themselves, albeit each of them would be watched by one of the Akemis. They could prevent Kyubey from doing anything and keep an eye on them, both of which was a necessity right now.

So they saw them off and started following right afterwards.

 **. . .**

There were a few things Kyoko actually expected to happen in response to her teasing question. She expected denial, blushing or even something to be thrown at her... but not this silence her former mentor wrapped herself into. Mami kept quiet and did not meet the redhead's gaze; what made it worse was the fact that this was already going on for several minutes.

 _Mhm... so what's making her do this?_

The other fifteen-year-old was pondering something, whatever it was... but should she even ask? Kyoko knew very well that this might be a bit too private... but to hell with that.

"Something bothering you?"

She would not even need to ask, but that much manners were still present even in her mind. The blonde kept quiet a few seconds longer before sighing and raising her gaze. "I... am not sure, really. Yuri-san, despite being a Witch, was nicer to me than anyone else."

Her words came slow and measured, as if she had to evaluate them herself as well. However, they also had the redhead cast a slightly surprised glance at her. Yuri and nice? So far, she only found the human-shaped Witch to be a fine person; which should mean that Mami could not stand her. On the other hand, it would make sense if she changed her behaviour in regards to whom she was around.

 _Still... didn't seem as if she was acting around me..._

After deciding not to think about it anymore, Kyoko downed another cup of tea and sighed. "Jeez, Mami..."

While shaking her head, the lancer leaned back a bit and closed her eyes. "Y'know she's most likely not interested?"

Besides the fact that the blonde was still lying to herself about not knowing whether she liked Yuri that way, this was what might become more troublesome. Homulilly was a Witch after all; she never explained much about herself, but talking to Candeloro gave her a good idea of who she was.

Mami just lowered her gaze again. "I know... it is just... I can not help it, Sakura-san. I know that it might be foolish to be interested in her... but the more I try to act as if there was nothing, the more obvious it becomes... I think."

She seemed really desperate about it. So the redhead just sighed and got to her feet, which prompted her host to look up with a slightly confused expression. Kyoko made her way around the table and flicked her finger against the blonde's forehead; she recoiled in surprise and kept sitting. "Y'know... I _should_ tell you that you're an idiot and to stop that... but what the hell, it's your decision."

Just as Mami said she would not try to make her stop doing what she wanted, the redhead would not tell her to stop pursuing her own goals. "But still, that'll take a hell lot of time if you want to even have a chance."

Surprised yellow met mischievous red and Kyoko sat down right in front of her former mentor. "S-Sakura-san... um... I..."

The stunned stuttering only made her roll her eyes and wave it off. "Doesn't matter."

This made Mami smile and nod slightly. The redhead smirked back and just like that, their little discussion was over.

Maybe... yes, maybe they really could get along after all. It would be nice if they could.


	48. And I Must Squeal

She woke up with a feeling of determination. Today, she would finally do something noteworthy and be of help.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

This was why Candeloro kept quiet until they sat together for breakfast, not counting her wishing the other girls a good morning. This time however, even Kyoko joined them; the redhead took the invitation to stay and slept in the living room, much to her and Mami's delight.

The doll gently maneuvered the teapot around and poured the cups, something which was far easier with her flexible arms than those stiff sticks humans had. She really wondered how Lilly could bear this kind of body...

However, her train of thought was cut short when she reminded herself of what she actually wanted to do today; therefore, the Dress-Up Witch spoke up before anyone else could start chatting over anything: "Um... do you need me for anything today?"

This brought her a quizzical glance from Lilly and curious looks from the Magical Girls. Her Witch-friend raised an eyebrow and slightly shook her head. "Not really. Do you have plans of your own?"

She nodded enthusiastically and almost forgot to put down the pot before gesturing with her arms; Candel really had something she wanted to do and she was already getting excited. "Yes, I do! I want to go out and see the city!"

Her words brought a round of surprised and wondering gazes, to which the doll turned her head and tilted it a bit. Was something wrong with that? Would they tell her no?

"Um... are you... sure you can do this by yourself?"

Mami seemed reluctant to ask, but that was not a question she needed to be afraid about. Her Witch made a small jump. "Of course I can!"

Surprisingly, it was Lilly who cut the discussion short with a small smirk; hearing her words had not just Candel stare at the other eldritch being in surprise: "If you think you will be fine on your own, go ahead, that actually works out with my own plans; I wanted to keep an eye on Miki for a while, just to make sure everything is working as it should."

"Sounds good to me. I'll take a look at Mitakihara myself then."

That was Kyoko, who cast a smirk at the human-shaped Witch before stuffing her mouth again. Homura did not say anything; she just drank her tea and nodded silently over what was said. Seeing all of this, Mami let out a sigh and cast a glance back at the doll. "If everyone else accepts, then so will I. Please take care, Candel."

She heard her sister's concern and quickly raised her ribbons again. "Don't worry! I will be fine!"

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Not long after they were done eating, Homura and Mami got going for school. Lilly went to wash the dishes and Kyoko left a while after the other Magical Girls, using the front door as well. So now it was only her... she would finally get to see Mitakihara by herself... Candeloro could decide where to go and what to do. It made her feel a bit on edge to have so much freedom all of a sudden, but the doll was happy nonetheless. Of course she liked wandering around with Lilly and going where she wanted to go, but this was something new and exciting.

So once the Witch felt that there were no humans closeby, she gently opened the door to the balcony and closed it behind her. It was just a small protrusion, but big enough for three to four people to stand together without exactly hugging each other. At least the floor was not just a grid; her legs might have slipped through if it was. Candeloro went to extend her arms and wound them around the railing, then steadied herself. She had to make this jump. However, there was nothing for her legs to hold on to... which meant that she could not build up enough momentum from here... or maybe...

On a whim, the Dress-Up Witch had her legs compress and thus sunk closer to the ground, using as much strength as possible to push the cloth together. Then she yanked her arms and pushed herself off the ground at the same time.

The doll went flying towards the adjacent building, aiming right for the roof with a gleeful squeal. It felt amazing to sail through the air like that; almost as if she regained her ability to fly around.

Her momentum was barely enough, but she succeeded. Candel landed flat on her tummy, right on the edge of the roof... but she landed there all by herself; knowing that made the Witch feel warmer.

Quickly jumping to her feet, she looked around where to go next. Quite a few places came to mind, but which one to visit first... in the end, the doll decided to just go around and look what she would find; not many people were around, but she tried to stay as close to as many as possible. As it turned out, Lilly was right in that she gained strength from being around humans. Though the process was slow, she was constantly growing stronger. For today... and maybe the next few days, the doll actually wanted to gather as much energy as possible. It was also her wish that they could start on creating a barrier as soon as possible.

Then however, Candel's thoughts were stopped by a feeling of several people walking below her. They felt different than others, nicer and more sweet...

The Witch carefully walked up to the edge and glanced down, only to squeal in joy: There were several elementary schoolers, following an adult somewhere. They all looked adorably cute with their yellow helmets!

 _Ah... no, no, Candel!_

She could not just go down there and cuddle them; she must not. Lilly's words still rang in her mind and she would not let her friend down. She had to control herself.

Nonetheless, she could not stop herself from jumping up and following the group. If she found where they went, there might be so many more of them... the thought had Candel shiver happily. She _loved_ children.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Not much passed through her head on the way; following this small group of children and not being seen took up most of her capacity... the rest was simply flooded with anticipation. Even when the doll knew that she could not talk to them or be friends with them, it would be so wonderful to have them all around her. They were so small and cute and definitely fluffy and...

Was she rambling in her mind again? That was no good, at least not now...

Candel quickly shook herself and concentrated on finding a way over the roofs again. With her flexible arms and legs, reaching the adjacent buildings did not pose much of a problem in the center of town, seeing how close they were. It had been a bit more difficult further to the outskirts, seeing that she could not jump as far as the Magical Girls.

With the faint rustling of cloth on the roof, the doll went on and finally found a building appearing in sight which shared the sweet scent of the children below; Mitakihara Elementary School, where there would be so many cute little ones to see... on second thought, maybe she should not go there after all?

 _Um... can I... hold back? Lilly will scold me if I can't..._

She had to be careful. The older Witch told her not to be seen by anyone, so this might become really, really, really, _really_ difficult. However, hearing the group she followed chattering and laughing among each other had her metaphorical heart almost melt. There was no way she could _not_ go there now.

Thus, Candel jumped down from the roof she currently stood on and came to land in a tree right below. Her arms got a hold of the branches to secure her descent and a lone crow quickly flew away upon sensing her presence. She paid it no mind and concentrated. No one paid attention to her tree and she only needed two to three more leaps to reach the school grounds.

Branches creaked under the pressure of her ribbons pulling them backwards, then the eldritch being went flying once again. This time however, she refrained from any noises in order to not be noticed. This procedure was repeated once more, wherein she sailed right over the fence marking the grounds of this school. She was inside!

The closer Candel got to the actual building, the stronger the scent aorund her had become. There were many children and quite a few adults around... she could not see them, but the Witch knew of their presence.

Thus, she took one last jump onto the main building's roof and went to sit in a corner she was rather sure could not that easily be found. Like this, she would definitely not lose herself; she could stay here and indulge in so many cute scents and feelings that it would definitely give her a lot of energy... it was so nice and warm, as if there was a blanket wound around her.

Slowly, Candeloro's mind drifted away and she fell asleep.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

It was the sound of crying that woke her up, the feeling of overwhelming sadness just a corner away.

When the doll slowly unwrapped her ribbons, she wondered whom it might belong to. Certainly not one of the teachers, seeing that the sobbing sounded too young. And there was no one else around, either.

Carefully, the Dress-Up Witch peeked around the corner separating her from the unknown person, coming to see a little girl. Maybe ten years old, with long hair as white as snow; which was about everything she could see about her features. She wore a pink dress with white polka dots and was currently curled into a ball, leaning at the wall. The eldritch being had not been noticed.

Candel's first thought was to hug the little one until she was better, but the memory of Lilly's words had her stop and consider for a moment. She really wanted to make this girl feel better; there was no doubt about that. However, would her friend get mad at her if she found out?

Over a new bout of sobbing and obviously repressed crying, the doll decided that she did not care. However, she understood that her appearance might scare the girl... so what to do?

After carefully retreating behind her corner, she sighed inaudibly; Lilly was so much better at this kind of thing... she just never did it. Still, Candel would try her best. That was why she gently called out: "Um... hey there, little girl..."

Her voice was quiet, but it was heard. A strangled noise came from around the corner and the sobbing stopped almost at once; so she did scare her. The Witch felt bad about it at once; still, there was nothing gained with stopping now. "What's wrong? Please tell me."

"H-Huh... W-Who are you?"

The girl's voice was a bit raspy and exhausted, but also full of surprise mixed with a small bit of fear. Candel heard the tapping of limbs on the ground, closing in on the corner she hid around. "Ah, don't! Please! Please don't come over here!"

The noise stopped rather abruptly, which meant that the girl would at least respect her wish for now. That was a relief...

"Um... why not?"

Now... how should she respond to that?

There were quite a few answers she could give, but Candeloro was aware of something very important; she just could not lie to those she cherished. It would break her heart to do so... and she already started to like this girl. So there was only the truth...

"Uh... you see... I think you would be scared of seeing me... so please don't look around the corner, yes?"

There was silence for a while, wherein the sadness she felt from closeby subsided somewhat; it was replaced by curiousity. "Nagisa does not really understand... but okay."

The rustling of cloth could be heard and Candel wondered what the girl might do. Seeing that she did not come closer, the Witch did not say anything. She just slumped down and leaned at the wall in relief. So she neither brought the child to flee, nor to be afraid of her; that was a relief.

"What is your name?"

It came after a short moment of silence and rather reluctant, but the doll replied at once: "I'm Candeloro."

Even her voice was more collected and less cheerful than usual. Candel actually tried to be as considerate as possible, thus mustering up all those few memories she had from Mami as well as everything she recalled Lilly doing.

"Can-de-lo-ro... Your name sounds strange..."

It sounded really cute how she tried to pronounce her name. The doll started to play around with her arms, although it was just to have something to do... and to distract herself from squealing again. "Well... it's my name. But I don't mind if you just call me Candel. Everyone does. What's your name?"

"Um... Momoe Nagisa. I don't mind if you just call me Nagisa."

So now that they knew each other's names... that made them friends. And the urge to just run around this small corner and hug the sadness out of her new friend was strong; however, the doll restrained herself and kept sitting. Lilly was right, acting without thinking could get her in trouble.

"Candel...chan?"

"Mhm?"

She was still thinking about what to say; how exactly did humans converse again? She forgot...

"Are you a ghost?"

 _Huh?_

Why would Nagisa think that? She was a Witch, not a ghost. Ghosts had no actual bodies; everyone knew that. Candel gently shook her head, ignoring the fact that no one could see it. "I'm not. What makes you think that?"

Now the human kept quiet for a while, most likely thinking about how to respond. It was tempting to peek around the corner and find out how she actually looked like, but the eldritch being really did not want to be seen.

"Well... uh... you said Nagisa would be afraid from seeing you, so I thought... um..."

So that was what she meant. If Candel had a mouth, she might have smiled leniently over it. "It's fine, Nagisa. I'm not a ghost. But... what were you crying about?"

This was what she had been wanting to talk about the whole time now. Even when it meant for the girl to become sad again -which she did in an instant-, the doll wanted to know.

Nagisa snifled over whatever the reason was and kept quiet for quite a while. Then however, she spoke at last... and her words made the Witch cringe: "It's Nagisa's mother... she is sick and won't come home anymore... every time I visit her, she smiles and says it will be fine... but I can see that she is lying... Nagisa doesn't know what to do anymohore..."

Over the last word, the girl started to cry again. Her sobbing and snifling was heartbreaking, especially because it was the only thing Candel could sense besides the strong feeling of sadness coming from her. This was just too much; the doll jumped to her feet and rounded the corner that separated them. Nagisa had her head buried in her hands and shook miserably; her petite shoulders were slumped as far as was possible and her back bowed where she had been leaning on the wall before. The child did not even realise what happened before the doll reached her; when yellow ribbons started to wind around her waist and shoulders, she stopped her crying with a surprised squeak.

However, Candel would not let go. She drew her arms as tight as she thought possible without hurting the poor thing, whose orange eyes went wide over seeing the Witch. A moment later, the eldritch being could no longer perceive anything with her regular sense, seeing that she drew herself in and pressed her body against the human's side.

"I'm sorry! Please don't be sad anymore... I shouldn't have asked to begin with..."

Nagisa had become stiff and did not speak so far, but at least she did not cry; additionally, her sadness had once again become surprise... and a lot of fear.

However, Candel just continued to rub herself against the alienated girl and proceeded to gently pet her smooth hair with the tip of one ribbon.

After a while of nothing else happening, the muscles she touched slowly relaxed and the fear subsided as well, to be replaced by curiousity. Seeing that her newest friend had calmed down, the doll carefully retracted her arms and thus unwrapped her; once the girl was free, she went to sit more properly in front of her, those large eyes coursing all over Candel. From the auburn price-tag over her yellow arms and towards the white, spiraling legs. Still, there was not much fear left, much to the doll's relief. She had been afraid the child might run away screaming. Now that she could look some more, she also noticed a little bit of yellow right around Nagisa's pupils; she had a second colour in her eyes.

"You... you... you are a... doll?"

"Um... yes."

They both stared at each other for some time, Candel waiting for the young girl to speak and Nagisa just keeping quiet, looking her over time after time. Then however, the child slowly reached out and carefully took her up; both of Nagisa's hands were right over the eldritch being's waist, thus she was really just lifting her. There was no need to hold on to anything because of how her body was formed.

Still, the Witch kept quiet and waited for what her new friend had to say. She was still afraid of not being accepted for what she was. Even feeling the increasing curiousity emanating from the girl did not help.

"But... how? You said you're not a ghost... and how do you eat? Or drink... how do those arms work? Nagisa does not understand..."

"Huuuh..."

Now it was for the doll to tilt her head slightly. Her left arm curled around itself and slowly returned to caressing her friend's head; she almost did not even realise it. "With magic, I guess. I don't know how exactly it works, I just know that it does."

The human gently put her down again and went to touch the fabric extended to her head; Candel felt the sensation of flesh running over her cloth. It was soft and the girl seemed fine with just looking down and examining the material. Her gaze held admiration and she relaxed even more. Now the doll was sure that she really made a new friend. Then however, a ringing had Nagisa jump in surprise. Her hands let go of the ribbon and she looked around. "Ehh?! It's this late already?"

After a moment, she turned back to the Witch and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, but Nagisa has to go back to class. Um... will you be here when school is over?"

Candel counted in her head for a moment and had to shake her head. If the elementary school was already on lunch break, she had been gone for a few hours already. "I'm sorry... my sister would worry if I stayed out for so long. I can come back tomorrow if you want."

This had the girl's eyes light up in joy and she nodded happily. "Yes, I want to! Candel-chan is a nice person."

Now they both bowed at each other and over seeing Nagisa wave at her, the doll raised one of her own arms in response. ""See you tomorrow!""

And off the girl was.

Once she was gone however, Candeloro let out the squeal she had been holding back for quite a while now. This little girl was just so adorable that she could barely take it.

But what to do now? If she stayed here, the Witch would most likely fall asleep again and run late. On the other hand, she did not want to go home just yet... so she had to decide on where to go next.

Firstly, she went and propelled herself over the building with a strong jump. It carried her right over the fence and into another tree she had been aiming at, prompting yet another crow to flee. However, no one saw her and there was also no one in close proximity.

 _What should I do... hm..._

She could sense Lilly in the distance, but her friend already said that she would be busy. Candel did not want to disturb her. So instead, she decided to just go where the largest concentration of people was. By doing that, the Witch could gather as much energy as possible.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

She never met anything like this doll before... and Nagisa understood that no one would believe her even if she told them. She even wondered if it was all a dream by herself later on.

When the ten-year-old returned to the roof on the following day, there was no one there. At least no one greeted her. It already made her heart fall; she actually thought to have found a new friend.

There were a few nice girls and boys in her class, but she preferred to stay by herself right now; ever since the girl realised what was actually happening with her mother, she just could not stand being around them... with this fake smile she wore in order to stop them from worrying.

Candel, however, was different. She just had something strange about her that made Nagisa curious.

She came up here to be alone with her problems for almost a week now, but the doll was the first one to have found her; not many people ever went to the roof, although it was such a nice place.

 _Maybe she is behind that corner again?_

There were not that many corners up here anyway, but there was a small area higher than the rest of the roof; she had no idea what was within, but Nagisa used it to stay out of sight of the schoolyard. The girl usually sat at the broad side and yesterday, Candel had been just a single turn away. So with her white hair bobbing up and down behind her, she slowly walked towards the place and peeked around the corner.

What she found was a peacefully sleeping Candeloro, leaning against the wall and with her own arms wound around herself. Seeing her like that made Nagisa smile; it looked even a little cute, despite the fact that the doll herself was a creepy one. She did not particularly care for that, though; her grandfather had a collection of pretty, strange and creepy dolls. He always said to treat each one with care, no matter her looks. And Candel was a really nice person.

However, she just could not bring herself to wake the other being up; instead, she gently took her by her waist again and sat down, placing her friend on her lap while keeping the slender and soft body in her arms.

She was really curious about what kind of fabric was used to make her; it was as soft as her favourite sundress, but looked really strong as well. She also wondered if there were other living dolls and how this worked. There was so much she wanted to ask... but for now, it was alright to let Candel sleep. Nagisa felt a bit weird, but that was no problem.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

The Witch slowly stirred awake to the feeling of warmth around her. She fell asleep again...

Her ribbons slowly unwound with the rustling sound of cloth gliding over cloth; at the same time, she started to look around... and found Nagisa looking down on her with a smile. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

This had the doll jolt awake and make a jump, right out of the human's lap. She slept this long?!

"Oh no! I'm sorry, Nagisa! You should have woken me up!"

However, her friend just shook her head and continued to smile. "It's fine. Nagisa wanted to let you sleep; you looked so adorable!"

She emanated happiness and was at ease, so the Witch just accepted the new situation and nodded. "If you say so, that's okay. What do you want to do?"

It was a really nice thing to be around such a sweet child.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When Sunday came, Candel went out again. She did so every day after the first one, never actually telling them where she went or why. By now, Mami was both curious and worried. However, Yuri only smirked and shrugged when asked, Homura had no idea herself and Kyoko... well, she did not really bother checking.

As of right now, the three veterans and the remaining Witch were sitting together; the blonde decided to have some tea before going on patrol. Her former guest was already a certain part of the household, seeing that Candel urged her to stay day after day; Kyoko did not really seem to mind, although it was a bit awkward the first one or two days. They got over that and were on rather good terms now. However, this only meant that Mami had more time to wonder what her 'sister' was doing.

"You should really stop worrying", Yuri noted after rolling her eyes. The eldritch being took another sip from her tea and regarded the blonde with a knowing look. Homura remained disinterested and reviewed her homework while the last Magical Girl at the table followed their discussion with at least some amount of interest. Mami just sighed and lowered her head. "I know there is no need for that... but I just can not bring myself to stop. Candel seems so happy for some reason, but she will not tell me anything at all..."

"She probably found someone she can be friends with and doesn't want to get chided because I told her not to interact with humans."

Amused purple met surprised yellow, but an indifferent voice interrupted before Mami could ask how the Witch knew: "You don't seem to be bothered by that at all, Lilly."

This gave the blonde enough time to remember that Yuri was very adapt in reading people after all; of course she would know something like that. Additionally, she smirked over the statement and nodded. "I already suspected this to happen... honestly, I just told her not to do it to make her careful enough; especially if it's a child, Candeloro could not resist for long."

Now this brought her some more attention and Kyoko looked up fully from the cake she had been annihilating. "Say what? Why's that?"

And again, Yuri's smirk widened.

"Because she has no mouth. And she must squeal."

Following that, dumbfounded silence took a hold of the table. Blonde and redhead stared at the raven-haired girl in confusion, who stared back with about the same expression. "What?"

Mami was not sure, but from the sound of it... "By any chance... are you referencing something?"

"Um... no. I'm not."

"Just ignore her babbling", Homura chimed in with a nonchalant expression. "She does that at times."

So... this tended to happen more often? Mami never noticed...

 **. . .**

"Are you sure I should come with you?"

Candel was a bit alienated over what Nagisa asked her about today. They met in one of the parks in the outskirts of Mitakihara, just as they did yesterday, which had been a Saturday. Playing with the girl was a lot of fun and the doll found herself looking forward to each consecutive meeting with more glee than before.

The grade-schooler on her part nodded with a mixture of hope and sadness. "Yes, I want you to meet Nagisa's mother. We are friends, Candel-chan... so... I want you to get to know her."

Which, in fact, meant that she would accompany her to the hospital. For one, the Witch was not sure whether she should accept. Would it not be troublesome? Nonetheless, the pleading expression her friend gave her made it clear she could not refuse without feeling bad; thus, the eldritch being nodded. "Okay."

This had a smile emerge from Nagisa, who gently took her up and hugged her in response. "Thank you. That means a lot to Nagisa."

Candel enjoyed the affectionate gesture for as long as it lasted, all the while enveloping her friend in ribbons in return; following that, she readily hid in Nagisa's empty bag. It was brought simply for the purpose of carrying her around unnoticed after all.

"Then let's go!"


	49. Kindness, Devotion and Cake I

When Nagisa entered the room, she was greeted by silence; the only noises around were produced by those complicated, beeping machines. She did not really understand what they were for, but the nice nurse told her they were important. She was not around right now, though; everyone left her alone with her mother and she was grateful for that.

Today however, the girl was not just by herself. She gently walked up to the bed, noticed how wrinkled eyelids fluttered open a bit and a smile found its way onto those weak lips. Her mother would always smile when Nagisa came to visit... but it became less hopeful when her hair started to fall out; by now it was just the weak kind of smile, something she did because it was the only thing she could still do.

"Hello, Mama. Nagisa is back."

She took a seat and gently held her mother's hand, who nodded slightly. The sick woman rarely spoke as of late, but still...

"I went and bought that cute dress Papa mentioned. It fits really nice."

She went to speak over what happened recently as she usually did, just to have her mother know. The world was still there, waiting for her to return to it. However, the woman on the bed closed her eyes completely not long after she started. "Mama?"

There was still the slightest bit of strength in this hand she held, but her mother breathed less strongly... still, none of the instruments started to make lots of noises; they did that one time and a few nurses rushed into the room right afterwards. Nagisa was told to wait outside and they did something; she never found out what, though.

 _Mama fell asleep..._

But this was no good; how should she introduce Candel now?

Nagisa sat there, wondering about what to do for a few more seconds. Then she slowly lowered one hand and pulled back the zipper, thus releasing the doll from her bag. Her friend emerged with a relieved sigh and looked around, then focussed on the bed the girl sat in front of. Candel made a jump upwards and landed on her shoulder. From there, they looked both down at the sleeping figure.

 _'_ _This sure is bothersome.'_

Then, suddenly, a cheery voice spoke up in her head and her friend squeaked in surprise. They both turned around and found a strange cat sitting on the ground. It looked at them with unreadable, red eyes and swished its tail back and forth; once they saw it, it got to its feet and jumped onto the bed. Nagisa wondered what that might be. Maybe Candel knew?

However, she found the doll shaking and not saying anything.

 _'You see, I overheard two of the nurses talking: This woman has not much longer to live. A few hours at least, but only two or three days at best.'_

These words had Nagisa grow cold and her chest tightened in shock. What did this cat just say?

"That... that's... but... that can't be! Mama said she will be better and eat cake with Nagisa again!"

She could not help her voice from breaking over those news, even when she tried to stay composed. Somewhere deep down, Nagisa already suspected it. She did for so long, but she could not just accept it as the truth.

 _'You might want to ask the being on your shoulder. You can sense this woman's life draining away as well, can you not, Candeloro?'_

"Huh?!"

She quickly turned her head around and cast a pleading gaze at the doll, whose price-tag lay flat on her head. Candel shook her head... and a few pieces of yellow yarn fell down from her head. "I'm sorry, Nagisa... but he is right."

Then however, the doll's arms wound around her and she went to speak to the cat: "What do you want from her, Kyubey?"

She sounded as if this cat was a bad one... but she was also right, why was it here? Maybe it was the hospital's mascot? Though Nagisa never saw it before...

 _'You know there is only one reason for me to approach someone.'_

With those words, the red eyes returned to meeting the girl's gaze. _'I'm here to offer you to form a contract with me, Momoe Nagisa. I will fulfill one wish of yours and make you a Magical Girl in exchange. It will be dangerous if you decide to accept, though; you will have to hunt Witches, creatures of despair that spread curses throughout the world and prey on humankind.'_

This... this was too much for her little head. Nagisa's shoulder's slumped down a bit and the girl eyed the cat in surprise. One wish, it said? So...

"So I can eat cheesecake with Mama again?"

She completely disregarded the second part. It did not matter at all if they could have their favourite cake again. Nagisa refrained from eating any ever since her mother became unable to; she wanted to wait until the sick woman was healthy again.

 _'If this is what you desire, you can make it happen. You hold the potential.'_

Hearing this confirmed, to understand that it was actually possible... it made this young heart jump in joy. Nagisa squealed happily and wanted to speak, but then she found a ribbon winding around her mouth. It held her lips sealed and she could only let out a surprised "Umph!"

"Wait, please! What are you doing?"

The ribbon remained in place a little longer and the two stared at each other, the human with her eyes slightly widened and the doll with her voice shaking. Then the yellow cloth slowly let go of her mouth and Nagisa tilted her head. "Eating cake with Mama. What would be wrong with that?"

Candel seemed surprised by her response. She took a little step back, although this almost made her fall from the shoulder she stood on. "You... heard him saying that you have to fight if you form the contract, right?"

This question only made her tilt her head a bit further. What did that matter? Nagisa did not care much. "Yes?"

"And... you see nothing bad with that?"

"...No?"

The doll kept quiet and Nagisa wondered if she would stop her again. Kyubey seemed to wait patiently, but she did not want him to just go away when she was not looking.

Her friend sighed after a while and deflated further. "I... I don't think... Nagisa, is this what you really want?"

She sighed again over her enthusiastic nod, but continued to lower her ribbons. "I see... ugh... okay. But before you tell him your wish... could you tell me what you want to wish for?"

That was a strange question now. Nagisa already said her wish more than once. Did Candel not notice? In any way, the anticipation made her become a bit giddy over finally seeing her mother smiling for real again. "To have cheesecake with Mama."

There was another silence after she said it again. However, something was different this time; Nagisa could not really figure it out, though. Her friend looked at her and she looked back... and her confused voice could be heard again: "You... you mean it?"

"Um... yes?"

She was not really sure what the doll meant. It was obvious that she would make that wish, was it not? After all, she _wanted_ to have cheesecake with her mother again. There was nothing wrong with that.

"Um... Nagisa... could you... by any chance... please tell Kyubey to make your mother healthy again instead? You can have a lot more cake with her that way..."

 _Huh?_

She never thought about that but Candel was absolutely right; this was an even better wish! So the girl nodded with a cheerful "Okay".

 **. . .**

She could not believe this was happening. Not only did she fail in stopping her friend from going through with this, she even encouraged her at some point... but the Dress-Up Witch was simply unable to work against what those she cherished wanted. If Nagisa decided to sacrifice herself for that, who was Candeloro to stop her? She knew far too less about her, her family ties or anything else to make a reasonable decision... she could only hope that Lilly would understand that. Now the other Witch would definitely chide her.

Speaking of Lilly... why was her aura present in the same building?  
Nagisa's words and the bright light went almost unnoticed as the doll grew cold. Had her friend been following her? Whatever the reason for her being here, she definitely noticed what just happened... and Candel could feel a certain amount of displeasure seeping out from the other Witch. At least not anger, that was a start...

 **. . .**

 _'Do you have a moment, Onee-chan?'_

 _"I do. What is it, Lilly?"_

In fact, Homura was currently busy scouting the city for Witches; she wanted to pay the Yakuza another visit in the evening, so hunting had to be done now. Kyoko went to take a walk and took Mami with her, so the time traveler was currently by herself and had the time to spare. Actually, she already felt the displeasure seeping through from her sister before her mental voice could be heard.

 _'I just wanted to warn you... Candel did something. I don't know exactly what, but I'm sure that I won't like it. I'm currently following Miki around, so I happened to be around the hospital. Now I am rather sure that the fool did not break my Kiss... which leads me to wonder which girl just contracted with Kyubey half a building away from where I am right now.'_

Lilly's tone had Homura interrupt her stride and the Magical Girl came to a halt. Her eyes wandered over the crowd below, then she decided to discuss this out first. Thus, she went to sit where she walked before, with her back against a small wall on the roof she was on.

Someone else contracted. While this was fairly normal in a town of this size, what had her sister so upset was the fact that Candeloro was around the place as well.

 _"So this might be the person she was meeting. What about it?"_

The response took a few seconds, but when it came, the time traveler raised an eyebrow: _'You... forgot the time. Today is within the range of Charlotte appearing right where I am... which was another reason I wanted to stay around here. However, no Witch... and a girl contracting that is not Miki Sayaka. This is another unknown to our plan, please keep this in mind. I already determined who the girl was in the last timeline... so I guess I go check if it's really her. Additionally, Homura... be careful. It just feels weird that everything is going so well so far.'_

She had to agree with the last statement. It really was a lot less exhausting to go through this month with Mami on their side instead of against them. On the other hand... if Candel brought in another girl, this might become troublesome indeed. However, the Magical Girl would leave matters to her Witch for now; if Lilly needed help, she would tell her.

 _"I see. We should both be careful, I guess..."_

 _'That we should.'_

With this, the voice vanished. With it went the feelings Homura knew were not her own. She sat in place for a few more seconds, then sighed and got moving again.

 **. . .**

Somewhere else in town, two girls went their way. One of them was carrying a few bags, grumbled and kicked whatever stones or trash came to lie in front of her feet.

"Why do I have to carry your stuff again?"

Which only prompted her blond companion to send an apologeptic smile backwards. "Well, Sakura-san... I figured that I should give you something to do is all. Besides, please keep in mind that quite a few of those things are actually for you."

On top of that, the redhead was not even carrying much more than Mami did. Although this was mostly because she was smart enough not to let her groceries get anywhere near this glutton of a girl.

"Yeah, yeah... fine..."

They were about done shopping and on their way back home, so she figured that this was alright. Kyoko would grumble for a while longer, but just take it later on.

They remained in more or less comfortable silence for a while. Until the other veteran decided to get some revenge, apparently: "By the way... you're really not telling Yuri 'bout your feelings, are you?"

"H-Huh?"

She quickly averted her gaze and looked somewhere else, hoping that her ringlets could at least partly disguise the redness on her cheeks. "Um... well... I guess there was... not a good time to bring it up yet..."

"Yeah, sure. And I'm the pope. Geez, Mami..."

The blonde's shoulders slumped somewhat over the response. She did not really expect her partner to fall for this, but the chance had been there; Kyoko was quite observant if she wanted to, that slipped her mind almost completely. Still, how should she respond to the question now? Mami knew about her feelings for Yuri... but it just never felt right to tell her. There was always something to do and especially the raven-haired Witch drowned herself in work. To make matters worse, that kind of work was something no one else could do; Homulilly was the one experimenting with magic, especially that of Witches. No Magical Girl could do this in her stead and Candel was too inexperienced still.

A heavy sigh found its way out of her mouth while her hand clenched a bit tighter around the straps of the bag she carried. "It is just... when should I bring it up? And how? And even if, by some miracle, I got not rejected, Sakura-san... Yuri-san has even less free time than I."

She had no doubt about how this would go. The Witch never expressed much interest in Mami, so it was highly unlikely for her feelings to be accepted.

"It might sound stupid coming from me", the redhead noted with with a stern expression, "but you'll never find out if you don't try. Worst thing that can happen is her saying no and you've got nothing to lose from asking."

Which was also right. Mami was not really surprised that even Kyoko caught up to this little piece of advice. She knew it herself, but it was just so difficult to get over her own timidness in that regard. She sighed again and nodded. "I... will try to bring it up as soon as possible."

Now the other fifteen-year-old smirked at her and showed a thumbs up. "That's what I want to hear. Go for it."

Which meant that everything would become more complicated. The blonde suppressed the third sigh and just went on.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

A few minutes passed after she made her contract and this strange pain shot through her body. However, her mother did not wake up.

Still, Nagisa believed when both Kyubey and Candel told her that she was well again... it would just take some time for her to recover, she was sure of that.

Strangely though, she constantly got a strange feeling from the doll in her bag ever since... and the little jewel, her Soul Gem, was glowing as well. What did that mean? No one told her; The cat just left after Candel told him to go away and then they left the hospital. The girl did not really understand, but she trusted her friend. She took a few turns and finally went into one of the smaller alleyways, just like the doll whispered to her through the blue cloth.

Once they were halfway down this one however, someone spoke up behind her and had Nagisa whirl around in surprise: "Good afternoon, Momoe Nagisa."

Behind her stood an older girl with long, smooth black hair and unreadable, purple eyes. She looked down on her with a mixture of annoyance and resignation... did she do something wrong? And how did she know her name?

Before she could ask however, the older one sighed and motioned for her bag. "If you would let Candel out of there, there is no one around to see anyway."

"Huh... okay..."

She did not understand, but this sounded reasonable. So Nagisa pulled back the zipper and had her friend crawl out of the bag. Candel was shaking and quickly went to dart over to the other girl; then she hugged her leg and cried out: "I'm sorry, Lilly! I could not do anything..."

 _This is strange... who is this girl? Maybe one of Candel-chan's friends?_

That sounded fitting, so Nagisa was willing to believe it for now. She was still looking at the two of them in confusion, but there was no attention paid to her right now anyway. The new arrival took the doll up by her waist and had her sit on her shoulder. "I know. Nonetheless, you brought us into yet a new mess; I guess it's time to clean up."

Then, all of a sudden, the girl's gaze turned to her with the very same expression. "I noticed that you formed a contract with Kyubey a few minutes ago. You're a Magical Girl."

That was not a question, so why was she saying it? Nagisa knew this already... although she had no idea what it actually meant to be a Magical Girl. They said something about fighting monsters, but there were girls in Anime that did it and were even younger than her; surely, this could not be worse.

The grade-schooler nodded cheerfully to at least confirm that it was her who formed a contract. "Yes, Nagisa is."

The older girl walked closer and held out a hand to her, much to her confusion; what was this about?

 **. . .**

She was not sure whether she should strangle this child on the spot or go with what happened. The previous timeline taught her that Momoe Nagisa was the Sweets Witch, Charlotte; thus, if her arrival could be prevented... this meant a lot of problems, but also a lot of possibilities. Besides, she knew very well what kind of effect children that age had on older girls and most women; if she chose to take this one into the group, she could have Mami fuss over her and be happy for the additional time she could spend by herself. As long as the blonde was busy babying other beings, she would leave the Witch alone in terms of romance.

Which brought her back to yet another problem... was it safe to confront the other girl and turn her down? Would the amount of time this issue remained unsolved become troublesome later on?

 _Or I could just hope that she's a closet-lolicon and falls for Nagisa if given some time...nah, that's too unreasonable even for me._

Those weird ideas she had at times were quite interesting to entertain, but Lilly had to be careful which one to carry out after all. And as much as this would solve all her problems in one stroke, it was most likely not possible... besides the fact that she had to watch over Nagisa like a hawk in that case, making sure that nothing brought the elementary schooler down. Otherwise, she would lose Mami as well.

 _I should stop pondering that right now, really._

With that thought, the eldritch being returned from the depths of her mind and noted the quizzical expression her hand was given. Thus, Lilly rolled her eyes and shook the arm slightly. "Come on, take my hand. I will introduce you to a few people that can show you the ropes."

Again, the girl kept standing where she was; however, understanding sparked in her eyes now. She slowly held out her own hand, although far more reluctantly than the Witch expected her to be. "Um... okay... but Nagisa has to be back home at seven."

Which meant that they had a bit more than four hours today; that was just fine. So Lilly snatched the small fingers and went around the Magical Girl, who cast a confused and surprised look at her; this must mean that her abyssal presence was noticed at last; she made no real attempt to hide it anyway. While the Witch proceeded to put an arm around these small shoulders and have her free hand rest right under the girl's arm, she was still stared at.

"Um..."

Now there was a time to be patient, a time to be impatient and a time to play around. Lilly found that it was now time to mix them all together; she smiled down at Nagisa, who was still confused by the whole situation, especially when the Witch let go of her hand.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Your magic simply reacts to me being one of the beings you should be fighting; I'm not your enemy, though."

With these words, she took the surprised Magical Girl by the hips and made a jump upwards, which was helped out with Telekinesis to have her reach the roof without another leap. Nagisa let out a surprised gasp over the sudden movement, but they already stood again before she could even think about doing anything else. Lilly let go and motioned for her to follow.

"First thing is this; you can jump like that as well. That's one of the abilities every girl gets. Additionally, you have a far higher resistance to pain and are stronger and faster compared to before."

The information was taken in with a slight nod while the girl still looked down the twenty meters they just went upwards. Then however, something had her head perk up and a curious look was sent her way. "So... it doesn't hurt when Nagisa stubs her toe?"

This... was about the last question the Witch expected, which was why it took her a full ten seconds to get the dumbfounded expression wiped off her face. "Um... no. It won't hurt anymore."

This in turn prompted the girl to beam in joy; children really were strange. Lilly just sighed inwardly and waited for what happened next. For the time being, she could entertain the girl... in fact, this was both more interesting and relaxing than following Miki around; especially once the blunette decided to visit her one-sided crush. Not that Mortal World's Witch could not understand the feeling to be in that situation, but it reminded her of her own crush a bit too much. Therefore, she was rather glad to have a reason to stay away from there.

"Um... but why would I have to fight you? You're a nice person."

So they were headed this way next. It was as good as any and besides, she should get the basics down now before Kyubey could do more damage. Lilly smirked a bit more viciously over the question and crossed her hands behind her back; mostly for appearances, but she recently found this kind of posture quite interesting. It worked well with her physique and she liked it... why had she decided not to do that again? According to her memory, that was because quite a few humans were either alienated or intrigued by it.

 _Ah, right. Now that I think about it... oh. I have to get my dress._

She completely forgot to go and buy it over everything that happened.

And once again, the Witch had gotten distracted; she made a mental note, then quickly returned to the topic at hand and answered Nagisa's question: "Witches are beings of utter despair and insanity, preying on humans from within their barriers; they can't be seen by normal humans. You Magical Girls have to fight and kill them, seeing that grown Witches hold on to the only known means of cleaning your Soul Gem."

She pointed at the ring on the girl's hand, prompting her to look down in thought. "From simply existing, you constantly use up small amounts of magic; the same happens from using your powers. Once you have none left, you die and that is it."

"So... Nagisa has to fight a lot to stay healthy?"

This was what it boiled down to, so Lilly nodded. However, something struck her as odd. She eyed the girl warily. "Did you really understand everything I just told you?"

This child was ten years old, one of the youngest to be contracted. Still, she nodded and tilted her head in wonder. "Should I not?"

The topic might be a bit much for an elementary schooler... on the other hand though, she might just be a bit wiser than other girls her age; at least in some aspects. The eldritch being shrugged and returned to the topic at hand. "It eases things up, you can be sure of that. Anyway, as I was saying: I _am_ a Witch, just as Candel is. Thus, logic dictates for you to fight us and if you stay around, you might find a few other Magical Girls trying that. However, the two of us are comparably sane and reasonable; the remainder of our kin is not. Due to that, the local girls are working with us."  
Nagisa nodded a few times over her explanation, then raised her hand to indicate another question. Lilly motioned for her to ask; actually, it was an interesting experience to teach a more open mind.

"So... you said that only Witches can clean my Soul Gem and that you are one... um... so can you do that, too?"

Now it was for her to be surprised. That was a sharp deduction. Having this girl with them might not be bad at all; thus, Mortal World's Witch already started to change her plans as much as was necessary. She nodded with an appreciative smirk as well. "Good observation. We haven't yet let Candel try that, but I'm indeed capable of cleansing your Soul Gem. But don't let that get to your head, Nagisa; I'm not anyone's personal magic dispenser."

Although she would not mind to get a few delicious meals, this had to be said. The girl nodded with a bright smile. "Okay! Nagisa is still glad that... um..."

The statement was not finished. Instead, the child tilted her head once more. "Um... what's your name?"

Right, she did not introduce herself so far. The Witch allowed herself a small smile, but refrained from bowing like Japanese customs would demand. She was not human.

"I am Homulilly, Mortal World's Witch. However, you should just call me Yuri, as every human does."

Except for her sister, but Nagisa did not need to know that. The girl nodded thoughtfully and returned the smile. "I am Momoe Nagisa and I'm glad we do not have to fight."

Now however, she had to decide what to do; either introduce the child to the other Magical Girls or get an idea of her magic first. On the other hand... Mami and Kyoko were somewhere in town, Homura somewhere else and it might be better to find out if this girl was really useful first. If she was not or maybe even dangerous, having her disappear without questions asked would be impossible. Even now, Lilly was already wondering how she should explain something like this to her fellow Witch. This would not be easy if it became necessary.

Therefore, the eldritch being made her decision and crouched. "Hop on. I will bring you somewhere where we can examine your abilities."

While the child climbed onto her back and the Witch got a hold of her legs, she realised that this would be a long day...


	50. Kindness, Devotion and Cake II

It was strange to see everything from above. Nonetheless, Nagisa loved the new perspective; all those people seemed to be so small and even the slight fear of heights she had was currently drowned out by the joy of sailing through the sky, although they were not actually flying. Yuri held on to her legs and Candel went to nestle to the girl's back; the doll clung to them both with her arms, which felt quite a bit like a seatbelt right now. At the same time however, she also felt the strange energy course through both of them; right in front of her and right behind were beings that were not normal... but the girl already knew that about Candel anyway.

She was still curious what the Witch meant with training; would they go to some secret place where all the new Magical Girls could test their abilities? What magic did she even have?

Those were all question Nagisa would love to get an answer to, but they were rapidly going from roof to roof... and their surroundings started to look older, less well-tended to. There were large cranes closeby as well.

Mitakihara was glistening in the afternoon sun, but this part of the city looked more dull; The light was not reflected very often and many buildings appeared to be on the verge of collapsing.

When they landed on yet another roof, the girl decided to ask the question that bothered her the most right now: "Um... Yuri-san? Where are we?"  
And why would a secret training area be here?

Her carrier cast a glance backwards, although she could not tell what kind of look it was she was getting; Yuri's head was not turned far enough for that. She kept quiet for a few seconds and seemed to take in her surroundings. Then she spoke: "You can let go, Candel."

Following that, the yellow ribbons slowly unwound and those firm hands let go of her legs as well. Nagisa took it as a cue to slide down and stand on her own feet while Yuri turned around to meet her gaze properly. Following that, she motioned for their surroundings. "This is Mitakihara's construction site. All those buildings will be demolished over the year to make room for newer, more modern places. For now however, nothing will happen; they won't start before May."

So this whole place would be gone in a few months? Most of it looked as if it could still be used, though... Nagisa did not really understand the reason for that. Still, she nodded in understanding and looked around herself. "And what are we doing here?"

"Training, obviously", the response came in an instant and had her hopes deflate. When her face fell, the older girl raised an eyebrow; so she noticed. "What exactly were you expecting? An old castle underground where every new Magical Girl is given time to train properly?"

It sounded mocking, but this was exactly what she imagined. That was not wrong, was it? Still, Nagisa lowered her head a bit and averted her gaze. "Mayyybe?"

She did not get an answer for a while. Yuri just stared at her with this unreadable gaze, which made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. Candel on her part was standing aside and watched the conversation. Then, suddenly, the raven-haired girl turned away with a sigh. "You watched too much Anime. The world you entered is a harsh one and there is no going back. If you want to see the next month, you should learn to fight really quick... fortunately though, you have a way better start than any other newcomer."

Nagisa was scared for a moment there, but the last words made her shock dissipate quickly; Yuri seemed to know a lot, so everything should be fine if she said it was. However, she was also not done speaking, apparently: "As of right now, there are three veteran Magical Girls in this town; all of them are part of the same group, just as I and Candel are. This means that you can accompany them on a hunt."

"But Kyoko won't like it at all..."

That was the little doll speaking, who looked uncomfortable for some reason. So this Kyoko-person was one of the other girls? Nagisa already wondered what kind of people they might be. Surely they were all nice and strong big sisters. Yes, this had to be it.

 **. . .**

While her current protege drifted off once again, Lilly smirked down at her companion. Of course Sakura Kyoko would complain over having to babysit -again-, but she already knew the solution. Thus, the eldritch being was not fazed in the slightest. "I don't think so, Candel. I already know how to get her to accept... after all", Mortal World's Witch turned back to the elementary schooler, "you made a wish to heal someone, right?"

This made her snap to attention, although it took a few seconds to process the question. Nagisa nodded at last, which made Lilly snicker internally. "So your main ability in terms of magic should also be healing... which we should put to the test."

"Huh? But... Lilly, no one is injured..."

Candel was correct so far. However, the older Witch just smiled and pulled a small knife out of her pocket; she kept it there just in case it was needed for something. The sight had Nagisa's eyes widen in surprise, but she remained where she was. Lilly came to a halt but two steps in front of the girl and motioned with the blade, although that was just because it was in her right hand. "Please transform."

The problem with that became apparent a moment later, when Nagisa just cast a confused stare back at her. Right, new girl. The eldritch being resisted the urge to roll her eyes and motioned once more, this time for the child's right hand. "Just focus on your Soul Gem, the rest should come to you."

Or so she hoped, seeing that this was the only explanation she could give. Transforming was something Lilly herself was not capable of... or was she? She actually never thought about it. On the other hand, what kind of transformation would that even be?

 _Maybe... if this worked, I could have my hat..._

This... was worth a few more thoughts. She could not have her barrier, she could not have her own body... so the least she could have was her hat, right? However, the universe screwed with her quite a lot so far; it was unlikely that this would work. Still, she would think about it more sometime else... and even if it was just to have this hat appear. Even if it was just that, it would be a major improvement.

And while she was at it, Lilly figured that she really should look up on how to use a knife properly, if just to be able to use it if necessary. Her abilities were not made for close combat to begin with, but she still had enough strength to take on an ordinary human being. Still, most people, especially adults, would not take a girl her appearance and size seriously... so holding a knife seemed like a good idea to scare them off.

Once this thought was about finished, the Witch returned her attention to the situation at hand, only to find Nagisa staring intently at the white trinket in her palm; still clad in her school uniform. This might take a while...

"Just take your time, we have a lot at hand."

With those words, she went to sit down at the edge of this roof they stood on. At least she had something to do now; Candel on her part continued to watch how her newest friend was doing. Thus, it was alright to let her thoughts wander some more.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When the two Magical Girls returned to Mami's flat, the blonde found that Homura was back already. The time traveler had set up rice and seemed to be working on some Mabo Tofu at the time; or rather she started the preparations, seeing that those took most of the time because most of the ingredients had to be peeled and cut into small pieces beforehand. Personally, she was not a fan of this particular dish, seeing that it was really spicy...

 _Oh well, this will be nice for a change of pace. Besides, I do remember Kyoko liking spicy food._

She cast a glance in the redhead's direction, who was eyeing the raven-haired girl; Homura worked in complete silence and without acknowledging their presence at all. Still, Mami went to take a look at her work so far and nodded approvingly. "This looks good... although, by any chance, could we use a bit less chili than the recipe says?"

"Of course", the other girl replied without a hint of emotion. This was normal for her, but she still managed to make a shiver run down the blonde's spine at times. Mami slowly went to sort in what they bought in terms of food; fresh ingredients went into the fridge, ice cream into the freezer and spices into their rack. Kyoko for her part had wandered off to -going by the sound- set down the bags she had to carry and flop down on the couch. However, a surprised whistle from the living room had the other veterans turn their heads; the redhead did not return to the kitchen, but her voice easily made its way to them: "What's with that dress?"  
Dress? What dress? Mami bought no sundresses today, seeing that she had enough of those anyway and her old friend would not wear them. The answer to this question was provided by the youngest of the three, though. Homura paused from cutting onions and replied with her voice raised enough to be heard in the other room: "This is for Lilly, so please leave it be."

Her voice did not really hold any emotion now, either. This was most likely also because of these months of repeated struggle; it made Mami cringe.

"Sure thing!", the other veteran's voice replied after but a split-second. The blonde on her part sighed over all of this. It should be so surreal, but she found that simply accepting and believing the situation was the best course of action. Still, some things made her heart throb; such as realising that what this quiet girl next to her had become was to a good part her fault. She could argue that it was not her in particular, but other Mami's that did the deed... yet in her understanding, this was the same altogether.

"I... must have brought you a lot of trouble in the past..."

The chopping was interrupted once again, although Homura did not look up. It did not matter, seeing that her expression would not change anyway. "You just did what you thought was right. Had it not been for Lilly's schemes, I would have never believed to be able to get to a situation like this."

Yes, Yuri was truly her saviour... but still, it felt not right to hear the other girl defend her actions; Mami gently shook her head while fishing a frying pan and a pot out of the cupboard. "I... do not think you should brush it off like this. You have every right to be angry at me."

As the chopping did not continue for a while, the blonde turned her head at last... and found the younger... older girl looking her way. Cold purple met sorrowful yellow and the third-year averted her eyes after a few seconds. She could not bear this gaze right now.

"And what good would come from that? Of course I could be angry that you fell for Kyubey's words, but so did I in the beginning. There is nothing I could accuse you of that I haven't long since accepted as a part of your nature. Normally I would just try to move around you without you noticing and get everything on track, maybe even manage to keep you alive until Walpurgis... which rarely worked."

This was an unexpected flow of words and each sentence jammed another needle in Mami's chest. It hurt even more to hear it in this cold, analytic tone Homura always had; however, the blonde was not sure if it was because of how cold she sounded or because she was right.

"So if you want someone to be angry at you, scream at you or tell you how bad a person you are, you should ask Lilly to do that. I'm sure she would love to comply."

With that, the raven-haired girl returned to chopping onions.

 **. . .**

Apparently, neither of the two had noticed Kyoko leaning right on the other side of the wall. The redhead had been listening to their conversation once she noticed them talking. Although it did not make much sense to her, she could get at least something out of it.

 _So Mami had beef with Homura... and it sounds like a lot... how'd those two end up working together?_

Most likely because of Yuri; this Witch was crafty.

Still, despite what she actually wanted to do, Kyoko kept quiet. She figured that it was better to leave those two alone for now. Besides, she got the feeling that Homura, despite being younger than Mami and her, was dealing with a lot of baggage. Not that the redhead could even make a guess, but from how Mami made it sound... she wondered if she even wanted to know.

So this fiery Magical Girl went to return to the living room as quietly as she could, intent on not disturbing the current peace. At least not until after dinner.

 **. . .**

The feeling of magic surging in right in front of her made Lilly look up. There the girl stood, finally transformed... and the first thing the Witch noticed was this cap on her head; it was deep brown, almost black, looked a bit as if Nagisa had cat-ears and had two pom-poms connected to it on long threads, one on each side of her head.

From there, curious purple continued to scan the girl, took note of the large piece of orange cloth draped over her shoulders -it even had a few buttons, so it might be her version of a cape- and stopped at the pants. Balloon pants they were, billowed out and reaching little further than her thighs; there they ended in some frills and revealed black thights with greyish white polka dots. They were held in place by suspenders, whose straps went over the child's shoulders and also kept the cape in place... although it was not just a cape, seeing that it fell far enough to the sides to allow those little arms to be hidden behind it. Now that she paid more attention to that, Lilly noticed that it had a seamline in pure white.

All in all, this did not look bad... although Nagisa might get really embarassed about running around with her belly exposed if she managed to grow a bit older. The girl was looking herself over as well, apparently happy with what she saw; Candel had jumped up and waved her ribbons. "You look cute, Nagisa! So fluffy!"

Lilly just rolled her eyes while no one paid attention to her, although she got to her feet as well. She did not leave time for the two children to start babbling, they could do that later. "Good. Now we can return to what I was trying to find out."

In synch with her words, she raised the knife again; then however, the eldritch being paused. Who would be cut? Candel was out of the question, seeing that the suspected healing magic might not work properly or could have weird effects on her. Following that, even when Lilly knew that she would not even feel more than a little sting, hurting Nagisa would be told to a certain blonde, which would result in a certain blonde trying to take her work away once again; just as she did with Candeloro's Grief Seed.

 _I hate my life._

So, with two curious gazes on her, Homulilly rolled back her sleeve and steeled her resolve. It would hurt a lot, she knew that. Still, she could keep the fear under control because it was her who would inflict the injury. So she let Nagisa's gaze turn horrified when the small blad sunk into her flesh and a sharp pain started to convulse through her whole arm. Lilly knew she had to cut deep to find out what she wanted, so she pressed the blade further inside. Even then, it was hard to suppress the scream; she groaned quietly while liquid welled up from the wound, although not much leaked out so far. A few droplets of blood fell already, tainting the area around her feet.

"Lilly?! What are you doing?!"

Candel was by her side in an instant and the moment she pulled the weapon out of her arm, it was pulled out of her shaky grasp. Waves of pain rolled through her whole body, originating from this comparably small cut. Now however, it started to bleed stronger and she kept standing steady. Nagisa's eyes were glued to the blood that covered the wound by now, discolouring her whole lower arm.

"You made a wish to heal, so your main magic should be healing. See if you can get this treated."

For a moment, the Witch wondered if she should at least stop the bleeding; on the other hand, using so much magic now was out of the question; she would restore her bloodlevel in a more regular way later. This throbbing pain made it hard to think, though; it was nothing compared to what Miki Sayaka did to her before, but still on a level that drained Lilly's willpower. She could barely stop herself from shaking.

"U-Um... but Nagisa doesn't... uh..."

The girl continued to stutter while reluctantly putting her hands on the eldritch being's arm. Then however, her expression became a surprised one.

"Oh."

And magic started to surge forward from her palms, entering the injured arm and making it a bit numb. The pain was swiftly reduced to a far more comfortable level, but Lilly paid that no mind; she observed how the magic coursed through her arm and the rest of her body, practically stitching the ripped tissue back together. In a matter of less than a minute, the wound was closed and completely healed.

Candel had stopped to stare and so did Nagisa; the girl was eyeing her hands with confusion while her patient carefully moved the arm around. After a few seconds, the Witch nodded satisfied and started to lick the mostly still liquid blood from her skin; any other method would just make something dirty... and she already spilled enough of it on the ground for today... thankfully, there were only small pecks on her shoes from when the liquid hit the ground; she could take care of those later.

"So you heal others by placing your hands on them; I guess the method in itself is a rather efficient one, albeit with some drawbacks."

Not much magic was lost during transportation, seeing that there was a direct connection from user to target. On the other hand, there had to be physical contact to begin with. It was sufficient and practical, though; unexpectedly, a ten-year-old child had given birth to an ability much more useful than that of Miki Sayaka, who could barely heal a scratch on another person. However, there was one thing Lilly noticed so far: the healing magic coursed through her whole body for the whole process. Therefore, the Witch lowered her arm once it was clean of blood and spoke up once more. "The only thing you should try to practice is focussing your magic; there might be losses otherwise."

Although this implied that someone had to get hurt and needed to be healed, but neither of her companions seemed to realise that. It was fine anyway; Nagisa nodded slightly and looked down at the small puddle between her and the eldritch being, who just shook her head. "Ignore that for now. We are by far not done yet."

A wave of her hand told the girl to follow, which she did. Candel did the same, although still quiet; be that either because of what just happened or because she was thinking about something, Lilly did not know.

When they reached the edge, the Witch pointed at the next roof, which was of about the same height and a good five meters away from them. "Jump over there."

"Huh?! But... Nagisa can't do that!"

Of course she could. Purple eyes turned to meet yellowish red and Lilly scowled slightly; then however, she smiled and motioned for her protege. "Don't forget that you are a Magical Girl now. That distance means nothing and besides, we will catch you even if you don't make it for whatever reason."

She could stop time and Candel's ribbons were also very fast. This last part seemed to convince Nagisa after all, seeing that she was looking from one eldritch being to the other; thankfully, the girl was still too young to distrust her word... or too trusting. This would hopefully not become a problem in the future.

The Magical Girl bent her knees and propelled herself high into the air with a surprised yelp. Candel followed with a happy squeal and Lilly just rolled her eyes again. When the other two landed safely on the other side, Mortal World's Witch took a leap as well and once they stood together again, she smiled down on the child. "See? We're almost done with the basics, too. There is only offense left to wonder about, the rest will come if given enough time."

"Huh... okay."

At least Nagisa was willing to be guided

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Everything went a lot better than she initially thought it might. Lilly did not scold her, Nagisa seemed to be surprisingly fine... Candeloro was really happy with how it turned out. They were even training her friend to be a proper Magical Girl; like this, she could work with all of them and they would have even more time to play!

However, this setup her fellow Witch built continued to make no sense to her. What exactly did Lilly want to achieve with these large, blue barrels she brought here? There were five of them with four arrayed in a square and the fifth one in said square's center.

"So, all set. Do you have your weapon?"

She told Nagisa to go and summon that beforehand, so now the grade-schooler could happily raise a trumpet instead of having to figure it out. When she saw that however, Candel understood why Lilly sometimes said she had a bad feeling. Now it was the doll who had this... and she wondered for the reason. Ths trumpet looked a bit strange, coloured in black and adorned with polka dots in all kinds of bright colours. Additionally, it was more like a horn than a trumpet, although it had a hilt and additional extensions... but obviously nothing to be pulled or pressed.

Her fellow Witch took the trumpet and examined it closely before handing it back. "I see... alright, try to hit one of these barrels over there, whichever you like."

Nagisa nodded while taking her 'weapon'... and the doll really wondered if it would be useful. It was cute, but would it help her friend in a fight?

 _If not, I just have to look after her more. That's fine._

The thought made her relax, although the ear-shattering howl coming from the small girl made Candel jump in surprise with a startled "Wuah!".

Then she realised that it was the trumpet this sound had come from, accompanied by a wave of bubbles; the latter rolled towards the centered barrel in a good pace. Not as fast as her bullets would have, but quick enough... and when they hit, everything around this barrel exploded with another earth-shattering sound... as well as literally shattering the earth around: concrete came flying their way and the Witches did nothing even when a few pieces sailed right past them. Candel as well as Lilly stood dumbstruck while smoke and dust were still wafting around the place Nagisa's attack hit...

"You... didn't hold back, did you?"

"Umm... nooo?"

The Magical Girl did not even seem fazed by what just happened; did she know?

Whatever it was, Lilly just sighed and shook her head. "I see... this is at least reassuring. If you have this kind of strength, you should be good to go... and going we all should. I doubt this went unnoticed."

The older Witch pointed for one of the nearby roofs and then motioned for her to head over, so Candel dutifully jumped up to sit on Lilly's shoulder. Her range was significantly smaller than that of her human-shaped counterpart, so this was just fine; Nagisa already went ahead and they made their way over the roofs in no-time.

 **. . .**

This was amazing!

Nagisa never knew that life could be so exciting; she made her mother better, became a Magical Girl and now she was rushing over rooftops like a real Anime-heroine! Yuri and Candel behind her had been in this kind of situation for far longer than she was, so they were her senpais... and there were even more girls like her around; there was nothing that could go wrong, she was sure of that!

For the first time in such a long while, Momoe Nagisa felt free and happy. She had been plagued by sorrow at the best of times, but all that was taken from her in these few moments rushing through the air. This was why Nagisa joined Candeloro's joyful squealing over the sensation.

Then a new thought emerged: she had to fight Witches. What were they and where could she find them? How did they look like? More like the little doll she was friends with or more like the beautiful girl tutoring her for now?

These questions had the Magical Girl come to a halt after her next jump, which in turn prompted the Witches to do the same. Her eyes met Yuri's quizzical purple orbs; it felt as if they were seeing right through her and knew everything already... so Nagisa just asked away: "Um... I was wondering, Yuri-san... I have to fight, right? But how do I find Witches?"

The older one nodded softly and smirked as before, although she did not understand the reason for that. The question was not stupid, was it?

"Normally, you sense their trails and hunt after them with your Soul Gem; that won't work because you're so close to the two of us, though. It's mostly us doing the searching when we're around, otherwise you can do that yourself. You got a strange feeling from Candel and me ever since, right?"

Yes, she completely forgot about that. Her Soul Gem was still shining brightly for some reason, too. Nagisa looked down at it, then up at Yuri. "So other Witches will give me the same feeling?"

To that, the raven-haired girl nodded again while the Magical Girl started to understand it a bit better; she was supposed to go around and see if there was something there. That was alright.

"This is exactly the same sensation other Witches will give you. Just make sure to check where you point your trumpet before blowing something up, would you?"

"Okay!"

She could do that.

"Besides", Yuri added after a moment of silent pondering, "show me your Soul Gem."

Nagisa merely tilted her head while taking the small trinket from her belt. What would her senpai need it for?

When the Witch held the white gem however, she looked down on it with a slightly raised eyebrow. "I guess I should do that now; we have the time."

And before the grade-schooler could even let out a quizzical noise, a second hand descended upon her Soul Gem and she felt weird. It was as if there was something in her head that should not be there... and the feeling of a Witch closeby became even stronger than before. At the same time, threads of black mist rolled out of the crystal in Yuri's hands; they wavered around this one finger pressed onto the surface and while the girl watched in awe, her trinket became brighter.

So this was how cleansing a Soul Gem looked like.

 **. . .**

Once she was done, Lilly sighed and returned Nagisa's soul. There was not much taint inside to begin with, but she got it out at least partly. This time, there was even some childish innocence mixed into the swirl of feelings within the orb; it tasted wonderful.

Still, the question of what to do now remained. It was not even half past five, so they should still have some time; but on the other hand, this should do for today. So the Witch decided to just walk Nagisa home and continue the next day.

After all, there was a lot to do.


	51. Kindness, Devotion and Cake III

"Sooooo: What do you think of her?"

Actually, Lilly expected this question a lot sooner. They already made half of way the way to Mami's flat, with Candel perched onto her shoulder. The two Witches had been quiet for the time being, which was mostly because the older one still pondered the situation. When the younger one asked this question however, she gave her a thoughtful look before responding: "She is most likely worthwhile. Besides the fact that her healing powers are surprisingly strong, she should be good for morale among the older girls."

"Um... why is..."

"Because tending to her takes their mind off of more important things", Mortal World's Witch added before the question was even completely asked. Of course, she still hoped that this might at least slow down Mami's unwanted attraction... and chances were good, seeing that the blonde always wanted to be a responsible big sister... or at least she gave herself that way. She did the same with Candeloro and even Homura at times.

"Oh... I see. And you think Mami will be okay with this? Nagisa will become one of us in the end, so..."

So that was what her companion had been brooding about before. Lilly could feel her discontent even now, which implied that she had been against the girl forming her contract to begin with. Interesting, very interesting.

On the other hand, she could understand the doll's reaction and feelings on the matter. Having Madoka contract was something she did not like to think about at all. Still, Nagisa was a completely different case... and apparently a quite powerful Magical Girl to boot.

"Of course she won't be happy with it; however, what's done is done. There is nothing Mami... or anyone can do about the matter, so she will not blame you. Besides... what wish exactly did Nagisa make?"

Her question brought the Dress-Up Witch to perk up and scratch her price-tag with one of her arms. Did something strange happen at this point?  
"Um... that was a bit weird, you know? I tried to talk reason into her, but she just wouldn't budge from making this contract... but her original wish was to eat cake with her mother..."

The statement had Lilly blink. Using a wish to eat cake? Okay, there might be reasons she had no idea about, but still... wait. Momoe Nagisa's mother had cancer; she was most likely in a state where she could not eat any cake. So this meant that a girl this young would of course wish for what she actually wanted, not for something that would make it happen -like, for example, wishing the woman healthy.

"I... see. You talked her out of that, right?"

Now it was for Candel to nod. The doll sighed and deflated a bit. "I... couldn't stop her from contracting, so I figured I should at least make sure she makes a good wish. When Nagisa told me that, I... just said to wish for her mother to get better. That was the right thing to do, yes?"

"Yes."

Lilly allowed herself a sigh and shook her head. Really, everything spiralled out of control within a single day. Still, she would not necessarily think it a bad thing. So far, they made good progress... preparing Kyoko for what was to come took priority anyway; it was a good thing that the redhead already knew everything there was to know. Now that they had to bring in Nagisa, this might even solve a completely different problem... one that Lilly deemed unsolvable as it was. Yes, Miki Sayaka was in for quite a ride indeed.

 **. . .**

Somehow, she got the feeling that someone was talking about her.

However, Sayaka did not pay much attention to that feeling; she was still busy with her homework and surprisingly, a good part was already done. For the last week, most of her classmates and even the teachers had been surprised that she actually did something; as much as the blunette hated to admit it, this thing Yuri did with her was paying off a lot. She could concentrate better and studying became quite a bit easier. Her mind drifted off to unrelated topics a lot less than before as well.

 _Screw you, really..._

She did not like it any more than when she was told about it, but it was hard not to see the good side right now. As it was, her grades would go up; this meant that she would not get grounded and her parents would be less worried... well, okay, for now they were surprised and happy about their daughter's sudden change in behaviour.

A sigh escaped her lips and the tomboy took a look at her homework. The only subject left was math, which she still had time for until Wednesday... so she decided to call it a day and closed the notebook.

 **. . .**

At the same time, another notebook was closed. However, this one consisted solely of drawings.

Nagisa was just done drawing Yuri and hummed cheerfully over her achievement. She still had trouble with actual people, but the girl was nonetheless happy over how well her picture turned out to be.

Besides that, there was not much she could do right now; all the homework she understood was done and the rest unsolvable for Nagisa. Her aunt brought her something to eat when she checked on her earlier -though mostly to make sure the grade-schooler stuck to her curfew-, so that was not a problem, either.

Still, there was no one but her at home right now and she felt lonely already.

"Why couldn't Candel-chan stay the night... that would have been so much fun."

They were friends after all, so Nagisa did not see any problem with that. However, Yuri told her no and that it would not be that easy. Why not, she wondered.

However, Yuri also said that they would introduce her to the other Magical Girls tomorrow already; Nagisa could look forward to that, so it was not this sad to have no one around right now. With a quick glance around, she just settled on watching TV before going to bed. Maybe there was something nice to see, like one of those shows with puppets and dolls...

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

It took them just a few minutes longer to reach Mami's flat. They already stood on the adjacent roof when Lilly remembered something and cast a glance at her companion. She had to bring this up now.

"Could you do me a favour, Candel?"

This brought the doll to attention; she quickly nodded and the pressure from the ribbons wound around the older Witch's arm increased a bit... was she really tensing up because of that?

"Of course! What is it?"

"Please keep quiet about Nagisa for today. I want it to be a surprise when we introduce her tomorrow."

Actually, she just needed more time to think; however, this would at least make the younger one see a good reason to accept. And apparently, it worked well; Candeloro squealed in joy and nodded enthusiastically, her price-tag even swung back and forth. "Oh, that sounds great! Let's do that!"

Good, so she had some more time to think... on the other hand though, there was no way to get rid of Nagisa even when Lilly found that there was a fatal error in her earlier judgement. Kyubey would know... and it would let the others know as well.

This was always the problem that prevented more direct strategies: whenever her or Homura did something morally questionable -to human morals, that was-, it would call them out on it and 'report' their actions to all the other parties around. Effectively, this meant that they were reduced to absolute secrecy so far... now that Mami and Kyoko were with them, though, this at least meant some more room to maneuver for them.

So with that out of the way, Lilly made the last jump and pushed open the door; she knew it was not closed whenever she went out, seeing that the balcony was her only way to enter this place.

While Mortal World's Witch took off her shoes and placed them next to the doorframe, the Dress-Up Witch already jumped down from her shoulder and announced a loud "We're back!", which prompted three responses. The first "Welcome back" came from Mami, who seemed to be in the storage room; the second came from Homura, who sat no five meters from them... and played cards with Kyoko. The redhead eyed her own hand and cast a smirk their way. "Yo."

Lilly raised her hand for a moment, but this was all the greeting she would give for now. Her mind was still rattling with possibilities and things she had to be careful about.

"Oh, that looks funny. What are you doing there?"

And the moment Candel saw those cards, she was already darting for the table. Whatever they were playing, Lilly did not particularly care... especially because she would not know the rules anyway.

Homura on her part already folded the cards in her hand and placed them on the table. "Seeing that you're back, I can start making dinner."

With those words, the Magical Girl got to her feet and walked off while Kyoko started to explain the basics of this game to Candel. Neither of them saw the time traveler casting a glance backwards, though. Only Lilly noticed, seeing that it was her gaze her sister met. This felt a bit strange right now, as if she wanted to tell her something. Unfortunately, Lilly had no idea what this was about; so she did the only thing that appeared to help; she opened up their bond. If there was something her Magical Girl could not discuss with someone else around, this was their safest means of communication. While starting their mental conversation, the eldritch being went to sit on one of the cushions around the table.

 _"What's bothering you, Homura?"_

Her sister had just vanished around the corner, so the Witch could no longer see her face. However, her voice was still as clear as if she sat right next to her; just as usual when they did that. At the same time though, Lilly felt a strange mixture of worry and discontent from the other end.

 _'I recently noticed something, Lilly. I don't know if you do it on purpose or just didn't realise it so far, but you stopped talking to me. You acted by yourself quite often ever since this timeline began, so I wondered... why are you doing that?'_

 _Huh..._

Hearing this made the eldritch being pause and close her eyes for a moment. Now that Homura mentioned it... yes, she did act independently instead of discussing her strategy with her sister. She also understood why that would upset her.

 _"I see. Sorry... so far, I really didn't notice how much I did by myself and how little I told you. I was so busy getting everything on track..."_

 _'Getting what on track exactly? So far, it did not seem as if you held much interest in our training for Walpurgis.'_

She was right. Lilly sighed inwardly over having forgotten this important detail. When she restructured the plan, this was what she completely forgot about. However, this could still be salvaged; she just needed to explain it to her sister in detail. But what would she say? It was the exact opposite of everything Akemi Homura fought for... but nonetheless, she had to be honest with this one person at least. Mami and Candel had no idea... they might not even have thought so far. Kyoko could not know and now Nagisa was drawn into this as well.

 _"Yes. Um, Homura... could we postpone this until later in the evening? I want to explain everything properly."_

She had to think about how to describe her idea so that her sister would think about it. In the worst case, this would break them apart... Lilly needed to be as careful as possible.

 _'Okay. Tell me when you're ready.'_

So at least she accepted that, which was a relief already. Lilly nodded slightly and kept her eyes closed still; at the same time, she knew that a lot would change in this night.

 _"Alright."_

The bond was closed with this last word and Mortal World's Witch slowly slumped onto her back, which in turn gained the attention of her fellow Witch and the redhead she was talking to. Candel came to look down at her and Kyoko cast a quizzical glance her way. "What's up? Tired from running around all day?"

If she thought this might be the case, she should have it confirmed. It was easier to just say so and not think up something herself. "Something like that."

"Now I wonder what exactly happened", Mami mentioned while entering the room. She currently wore an apron over her regular clothes and was jumped by her Witch at once. "My, welcome back, Candel. Did you have fun?"

"Yes, I did!"

The blonde proceeded to stroke her counterpart's price-tag while a content smile found its way onto her face. After a few moments however, she cast a worried glance in Lilly's direction. "Homura-san mentioned that something strange happened, but she would not go into details."

So her sister did tell them; this at least answered that question. The Witch nodded, but did not even attempt to sit up. She just kept lying there and stared more at the ceiling than the other Magical Girls. "Yes, there was a... complication. I will show you tomorrow."

"Oh?"

Now it was Kyoko taking over the conversation with a smirk. Somehow, Lilly did not like this expression she had at all. For whatever reason, the redhead got to her feet and walked over to the couch; then she took something from there, which rustled quite a bit... and when the Witch saw what it was, her eyes went wide.

"Now Homura even went through all the trouble to get this for you... don't you want it? As in: right now?"

It was her dress, the very same one she had before. Lilly completely forgot about it... and now it was held over her like some kind of bait. This only had her raise an eyebrow while the yellow sisters stood at the sidelines. Kyoko seemed pretty content with teasing her like that while the blonde's expression was just as amused.

The Witch eyed the cloth for a moment and considered just snatching it out of her roommate's hands. Then however, she sighed inwardly and kept lying where she was. Had it been a hat, Lilly might have considered playing along. For this dress however, she knew that they could not hide it from her; neither could they keep it from her forever. Still... she wanted to have it.

 **. . .**

Seeing that she did not react to the bait, Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you don't... hey!"

Now it was Yuri clutching the dress tightly; she used her magic to snatch it from the redhead's grasp, who briefly wondered just why she did not see it coming. Mami and Candel shared a chuckle over the whole situation while the raven-haired Witch put on a smirk and got to her feet. "Did you really expect me to play along?"

Kyoko shrugged and noticed the smell of ingredients being fried. This was the first time she would get to see how good a cook Homura was; hopefully at least acceptable, but she trusted Mami's word that the other Magical Girl was good enough.

However, this was still a strange group they had here... and most surprisingly, the redhead was not the weirdest member. Candeloro definitely took the cake in that regard, with Homulilly being closely behind her. Granted, those two were Witches after all, but that did not change the facts. Although Kyoko had been a bit... bewildered once she found out how four people could sleep in this rather small bedroom of Mami's. Okay, fine, she already guessed that Candel was cuddling with one of them, but it surprised her a bit that Yuri apparently did the same. She never seemed like the cuddly type to her.

On the other hand though, they never spoke much about themselves before. Homura kept quiet anyway while her Witch was a bit more talkative; strangely though, the latter had this habit of either having this slightly arrogant tone and fine wording or babbling strange things that might be references. However, she denied to ever having referenced anything, which made the redhead wonder if this was just something her Witch-persona was responsible for. She did not do it all the time, either.

Whatever the reason, it was definitely weird. Not that Kyoko minded it much, but it was still a bit confusing to have this happen right amidst a normal conversation.

While she was pondering this strange living situation she was now a part of, the Magical Girl had not been paying much attention to her surroundings. When she snapped back to attention, Mami and Yuri were gone; the only one still around was Candel, who looked up at her with a slightly tilted head.

Kyoko blinked a few times and eyed the doll, then the living room around her. Where did the other two go? Dinner was not yet done, she could tell... so...

"Are you done thinking?"

"Hm?"

Candel tilted her head a bit further and took a step back while motioning with her arm. "You looked as if there was something bothering you, so I didn't want to interrupt your concentration. Mami said she wanted to talk to Lilly in private and they walked off just like that."

Oh?

Ohh?

Did that mean what she thought it meant? Kyoko started to smirk knowingly and bowed down to get a hold of the small Witch. "I see. Good thing you didn't follow them."

There might be another explanation, but the redhead decided to just expect it to be her old friend's confession at last; maybe her words actually made a difference in that regard, seeing how Mami usually held everything back. However, Candel just uttered a confused sound and continued to look at her quizzically. "Oh, so you know what they are talking about?"

The Magical Girl nodded slowly and put the blonde's counterpart on her shoulder. "Think so... Hey, just in case... prepare for quite a few tears and a gloomy big sister."

A little warning could not be bad; after all, Mami's chances of not being turned down were close to non-existent. Or... were they? Yuri did not display any interest in romance so far, but one could never know.

"Huh? Why is that?"

The redhead just shook her head, meaning that she could not say anymore. "Let her tell you."

 **. . .**

"Here we are; what did you want to talk about?"

They went so far as to jump over a few roofs to make sure no one would overhear them. Mami was still unsure about doing this, but she promised to get over herself. Kyoko was right in that it was more troublesome not to say anything at all, but still... like this, she could still hope and imagine if it worked out.

Now that she made this decision however, the blonde would only have this one attempt. Curious purple was directed at her... and for some strange reason, Yuri still held on to the dress she took from Kyoko before.

But how to start? Mami knew that the other girl was no friend of long talks most of the time, but she still felt that she should not rush the point.

"Um... well..."

The Magical Girl was already blushing; she felt the heat grow in her cheeks.

"This... might be a bit sudden, but I wanted to ask you something. You see, ever since we had this talk... I felt at ease with you around... um..."

She never thought that confessing her feelings would be so difficult; Yuri just returning her gaze whenever she looked up did not make it any better, though. Mami was so flustered that she could barely hold their eye-contact for more than a second at a time; her throat felt unnaturally dry as well and her heart was beating so fast she was afraid it might burst out of her chest. But did this not at least mean that her feelings were sincere? If she could just stop stuttering...

"And I... I know that we don't know each other for this long, but... I just feel better spending time with you so... would you... would you please go out with me?!"

Here she stood, the confident Magical Girl veteran; here she stood flustered, with her head as red as Kyoko's hair and shaking from anticipation. Mami did not dare to meet Yuri's gaze, out of fear to see the rejection before it came.

Why did she even bother trying? Not even that worked out as she imagined... there was definitely no way her feelings would be accepted.

After a while of tensed silence reigning over the two of them, the blonde finally raised her head far enough to see that very same purple gaze. Yuri's expression did not change; on top of that, it was the same emotionless mask Homura wore all the time. Seeing this had her heart throb in even more pain and Mami sighed inwardly. She should have prepared this better, she should have waited for a better moment, she should have...

"And you believe me saying yes would make you happy?"

"H-Huh?"

It was an earnestly curious gaze the Witch sent her with this question. Still, it effectively derailed the Magical Girl's train of thought and had her mind go in turmoil; why was she not rejected at once? Did that mean she had a chance still?

With hope flaring up in the depths of her heart, Mami nodded quickly. "Yes, it would."

"So?"

The eldritch being clutched her dress a bit tighter, an unspoken challenge in her eyes. Yellow met purple and they held each other's gaze for quite a while. Neither of them blinked. However, this felt strange. Did her crush want to tell her something with all of this?

Her blush subsided slightly, but by far not enough for her cheeks to return to normal colours. While that happened however, Yuri's supernatural presence increased as her aura grew stronger. The raven-haired girl averted her gaze first and sighed. "I actually thought I could stall this out a bit longer. My answer has been clear from the beginning... and besides, I think you're wrong."

 _Um... huh? Why would she say something like that?_

While the first part had the blonde deflate in understanding, what followed made her tilt her head slightly. "Um..."

Yuri sighed again and leaned against a pole extending from this roof, with eyes closed and her brows furrowed. "You... would never find happiness with me to begin with."

This hit like a needle piercing right through her chest. Mami let out a surprised gasp and her eyes widened a bit over that. She would have understood if the other girl just told her no, but this was just not right... how could someone else even know what would make _her_ happy?

Widened eyes went to become narrow, but the Witch continued before she could say something: "Because of who I am, I don't have much love in me; the small sliver I hold already belongs to someone else, though. That's why I'm telling you that the attempt alone is futile; I would never be able to love you as you would want me to."

Those words hurt, more than Mami expected them to. Her heart throbbed painfully and the Magical Girl lowered her head silently. So she was told that the person she just confessed to did not only hold no interest in her, she also made it clear that there also would never be any interest. Her hands slowly clenched into fists while a single tear found its way into the blonde's eye. As it rolled down her cheek, she finally raised her head again. She had changed now. Tomoe Mami was no longer the person she had been for so long; she was not alone anymore.

"And how exactly do you know that it would never work?"

Yes, she did expect and accept to be turned down; this was not what she was getting angry about right now. Mami was well aware how small her chances had been. However, to be told all of this was definitely _not_ what she wanted to hear. Yuri made it perfectly clear, which made the blonde understand something... so when the Witch's expression started to show surprise, she pushed further: "You are trying to prevent me from tainting my Soul Gem, are you not? This is why you said all of this."

Of course she would, considering what kind of person the Magical Girl had been for quite some time. Still, this was no justification for taking pity on her each and every time.

"Could you at least accept that I am no longer as unstable as I used to be and treat me accordingly? Is this really so difficult? Do you really expect me to become a suicidal berserker the moment I do not get what I want? Do you have that little faith in me?!"

Her voice had risen over the tirade, although Mami had not really noticed that. She was seriously angry now, but not about being turned down; it was the manner in which she was turned down, as if the Witch wanted to signal her 'do not be sad, this would have happened to everyone'. The blonde knew that she did not do much good in previous timelines; she knew that she was still not as collected as she would prefer to be... but this was humiliating in a way she now realised Yuri used all the time. Instead of just stating a fact, she found it necessary to explain every little detail just so her opinion would not be contested again.

And she had it with that right now.

"Yes. I have that little faith in you."

However, this response took all her momentum and had Mami pause in surprise. "Huh? What?"

This was not what she expected, not at all. She expected another explanation, maybe even a hasty retreat... but not a flat-out admission. Yuri sighed over the blonde's stunned silence before turning around and looking at the setting sun.

"I admit, I should have given you more credit on your mental growth... but you should know that I prefer to play it safe."

Mami was still unable to say anything. She just kept quiet, waiting for what would come next; it did not take long until the other girl continued.

"I can tell that there is this small thought somewhere within you: 'If I just try hard enough, maybe I can gain her affection'. Something like that, I guess. And especially because I know it's there, I'm trying to get you away from the idea. It will not work, no matter what you do."

Unfortunately, this observation was also spot-on; Mami just thought what Yuri said she would think. How was it that she could read her so thoroughly? Could this really be the power a Witch held?

Still, here was a Magical Girl steadied by said Witch. She surived the descent of Walpurgis and passed through the stream of time to aid in this task. If all of this was possible...

"Which does not mean that I will not try."

She was still angry, but there was no sense in continuing a tirade she knew would have no effect... although she did not continue mostly because she had no further arguments to make. There was still rationality within her mind, something that told her not to cross certain lines. Which meant "Do not mention Kaname Madoka". Of course she already understood that it was the pinkette whom Yuri's affection belonged to, but there was no sense in bringing it up. Somewhere deep down, the blonde knew that if she did, she might destroy everything.

However, the human-shaped Witch just sighed again and turned to leave. "Yes, I figured as much. If you really want to make yourself unhappy, do try; I will even let you make attempts, just so you can see how utterly those are doomed to fail."

She did not speak with the devious tone Mami knew she had, but just with tiredness. "For the time being though, I would like to get back and have dinner."

With that, the Witch leapt back over the roofs. However, the Magical Girl stayed where she was and fell to her knees. Now that Yuri was gone, she finally allowed her angry mask to crack and tears to start rolling down her cheeks.

Never before would she have believed just how strongly a few words could hurt.

 **. . . .**

 **. . .**

 **. .**

 **.**

Prepare to evacuate! The ship is sinking! I repeat: The ship is sinking!

Okay, tasteless jokes aside... I have no idea what everyone might think about these last scenes. Personally, I have the feeling that this is not really right... but in my defense, I am just a man trying to imagine how a pubescent girl would react while confessing her feelings to another girl. Give me some credit for trying, would you?


	52. Remnant of a Curse I

Yuri was the first one to return, although she did not say anything. Going by the fact that her expression resembled that of her Magical Girl-counterpart right now, Kyoko could already guess how it went. She did not ask, though; that might have directed attention from a possibly grumpy Witch to her. However, Candel did not have such fears; the moment the older eldritch being sat down, the doll stood right by her side. "What happened, Lilly? Please tell me."

However, Yuri kept quiet and completely ignored any attempts. The redhead, remembering the slap she got from trying the same, already wondered if she should chime in and bring the younger Witch out of the danger-zone. Homura arriving with the plates and bowls took her mind off of that for a moment, though; the raven-haired girl did not seem to be bothered by the tension and just put the dishes on the table. Candel started to poke around in Yuri's face, but no one paid attention to her still. It was a bit strange how those two could just ignore her like that.

Once she was done preparing the table however, the other Magical Girl spoke up with her usual cool: "You should leave her alone for now."

This brought the doll to turn around, but no one felt the need to elaborate. Besides of that, Kyoko was looking out onto the balcony. There was nothing else to do, seeing that Homura did the cooking and the redhead was quite content with letting her work in peace. She already did enough for one day anyway; seeing that they hunted together and with a set schedule -also something Homura introduced-, there was also no need to head out again.

Now she was not someone that liked being bound by schedules, but this thing the raven-haired girl created sounded very reasonable. An hour of training to get accustomed to each other in the afternoon, followed by about two hours of patrolling; she could live with that, especially because no one bothered her about not going out hunting by herself. Her freedom of choice was uncontested except for those few hours, so the redhead found it rather easy to accept. Now that she thought about it though, neither of the Witches joined them so far. Candel had been out for most of the last week and Yuri went other places... doing other things. She would really like to know what the Witch was up to... but it was likely that she just watched this other girl, what was her name again? Something with 'Sa', she was sure of that.

 _Whatever, she's not my problem._

However, Kyoko noticed something that might very well become her problem: Mami was just taking the last jump back, coming to land right on the balcony she had been watching.

The blonde's eyes were reddened a bit and her expression strangely empty, which only confirmed what the other veteran already knew.

Her former mentor did not meet her gaze; she just walked past Kyoko after closing the door. Before the Magical Girl made more than three steps however, a concerned doll was already clutching onto her from the side. "Goodness... what happened to you, Mami?"

 **. . .**

Having Candel's ribbons wind around her and hearing the sorrow in her Witch's voice made the girl snap out of her heavy thoughts. Not completely, but at least far enough for her to gently wind one of her arms around the small body and pull the doll in further. "I..."

She did not know what to say right now, especially not with Yuri right in front of her. Mami could only shake her head and continue walking. She needed some space, so she went to the only place that might help her now. On her way, the blonde passed by the kitchen where Homura was busy stirring the contents of the pot after mixing everything she fried before inside. It seemed to be almost done, but the strange lump in Mami's throat already told her that she would not get anything down right now.

Once the time traveler noticed her, she turned her head; when their gazes met, a sliver of surprise darted over the younger girl's face. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, but Mami noticed it nonetheless; she was grateful that the other girl seemed to care, but she did not want to talk to her, either.

"I am not really hungry, Homura-san. Please go ahead and eat without me, would you?"

The other girl nodded slightly and returned to her cooking. "I see."

With that done, the Magical Girl went on; however, a reluctant voice had her stop once more: "And... if you need anything, feel free to tell me."

Hearing this made Mami's lips curl upwards. To have people that cared for her like this... oh, how long had it been since she got this warm feeling in her stomach?

Still, the reality of what had happened earlier prevented the girl from actually feeling much better. She smiled nonetheless. "Thank you, Homura-san."

And with that, she finally walked off.

 **. . .**

The time traveler already understood that something happened. She did not know what exactly, but she could guess that it had to do with the other Magical Girl and her Witch going out to have a talk in private. She heard Mami telling her sister to come with her for a moment after all.

Still, what exactly happened? The blonde seemed to be completely out of it and close to tears on top of that. So it must be something important to her, which did not go her way.

Although the food was almost done and did not need much attention at this point, Homura could not really piece together what might be the cause for this situation. In the end, she carried over the pot while still being none the wiser. Lilly and Kyoko already waited for her with an air around them that made the raven-haired girl wonder. How could two people, especially adolescent girls at least in appearance, give off this air of starving monstrosities so easily? Okay, granted, Lilly technically _was_ a monstrosity... in some way or another, but still...

While putting down the pot, Homura checked the rice-cooker before casting a glance at the two girls. About one more minute before that was done as well. "What exactly happened while I was in the kitchen?"

She also wanted to ask why Tomoe Mami and Candeloro were holed up in the small storage room, but it was unlikely that either of them knew an answer for that question. Lilly returned her gaze with an expression that was partly annoyed and partly tired while Kyoko kept looking somewhere else, preferably at the pot.

"I... huh... hard to put into words, really."

The Witch mumbled mostly to herself while Homura started to fill three bowls with rice and hand the first two over to her and Kyoko. The redhead on her part rolled her eyes and just made a short statement before pouring the sauce over her fill: "Mami confessed to her and was shot down. Hard, I guess."

And all of a sudden, it started to make a lot more sense. The time traveler was well aware of their companion's tendency to cling to those showing her kindness; now add too much time to think and everything that happened... however, the blonde's feelings could not be that strong by now. Maybe she should really talk to her, but then again, Homura herself was not a good consultant about love and relationships. And even thinking back to those few peaceful days from the last timeline made her chest tighten painfully. It did not show on her face, but she knew that nonetheless.

Still, someone had to talk to her... and it better not be Lilly. The Witch kept quiet so far and already started to annihilate the contents of her bowl, which had Homura cast another glance at the rice-cooker. She already made a portion for twice as many people, but there was no chance of anything being left once those two were done with it.

"Anyways, why didn't you just accept her? Not into girls?"

Kyoko was wolfing down her portion just as fast, although she somehow managed to get this question out in-between bites. This prompted Lilly to slow down in thought, although she never stopped eating. Homura herself figured that she should have added a little more chili, but was otherwise content with the result of her cooking. Joining in on this conversation was not a good idea anyway, seeing the mood her sister was in. Besides of that, they would have a talk later. She could bring it up then, with Lilly hopefully having returned to a less sour mood by that point.

Right now, the eldritch being shrugged slightly. "That's not the actual point, Kyoko. I..."

Then however, something strange happened: the other raven-haired girl stopped herself, blushed and returned to eating. She made no attempt to finish her statement, but now it was Homura who could guess rather easily; Lilly did not want to admit her love for Madoka, the very same feeling that coursed through the time traveler herself. Maybe it was that she was afraid of saying it out loud... but she might very well want to say something on the lines of not _wanting_ to love anyone but the gentle pinkette all of this was done for. Even when she never made any attempt to get closer to her, Homura knew that her sister's feelings were still just as strong as her own.

"Please be aware, Sakura Kyoko", she found herself saying without actually realising it at first, "that relationships are highly dangerous to Magical Girls in general and us twins in particular."

When the other two turned their attention to her, the time traveler went to refill their bowls before continuing. However, Lilly seemed glad that her sister took over; maybe she really did not know what to say anymore. Homura on her part just sent her a slight nod before adressing the redhead again: "Feelings of sadness and despair can fasten the rate at which our Soul Gems darken, so entering into a relationship can become an effective deathtrap; if a Magical Girl is no longer happy with how this goes or maybe even has a falling out with the other half, that can kill her in a day, granted that her feelings are honest."

Kyoko had been listening with a slight frown and a few nods, but she kept quiet for as long as the raven-haired girl spoke. However, Homura could see the question approaching already; that was why she continued after taking another spoonful out of her bowl. "Generally speaking, turning her down now was definitely the right decision in the long run."

Now the other girl's eyes narrowed and she wondered why it would bother her so much. However, Kyoko was prevented from saying anything once again; Lilly spoke up with a shaky voice and her eyes cast downwards.

"It's not even that, Homura... I... can't really find the words to explain it properly... but this situation scares me; probably even more than anything else before."

Now it was for the time traveler to raise an eyebrow while suppressing the wave of sorrow surging through her. What exactly would scare her Witch so much? At least the admission caught Kyoko off-guard as well and kept her quiet a little longer; the redhead would have said something otherwise.

"I... I don't know, but I get the feeling that this is unbelievably dangerous... just imagine what happened if Kyubey noticed what happened and managed to break us apart; all our progress would be for naught, we might need to start anew or even die... I don't want that. Not when I finally found a solution that might work."

It was more of a pained whisper leaving Lilly's mouth, but Homura listened calmly while exchanging a glance with the other Magical Girl. Then she gently put a hand on her sister's head to stop her from saying any more. It did not look as if she was aware of her surroundings anymore. "Calm down, Lilly. It is unlikely for that to happen to begin with."

"But not impossible, which is exactly my problem... she was so unstable to begin with and I know just saying I don't want her will not help, either..." "Shh."

The Witch kept quiet now; Homura started to gently stroke her head although she was leaning over the table to do so. After a moment of consideration, the time traveler just stopped for a moment and walked around to continue with more ease. All the time, Kyoko eyed them warily while annihilating her second bowl of rice; once it was empty, the redhead spoke at last: "Just what the hell is wrong with you two?"

Two sets of purple returned the gaze, one dull and the other cold. Homura was the one to speak: "We are the same person, Sakura Kyoko. Lilly is still me, although her core personality might have changed a bit. She expresses all the emotions I do not acknowledge because it doesn't mean her death to do so. The same goes for Candeloro and Tomoe Mami; the doll expresses what the girl could never bring herself to say or do. As for the feeling of love... neither of us has any time for that. Additionally, neither of us wants to embrace this feeling at all. Not now, not ever. Not before we're done."

Maybe, Homura figured quite a while ago, maybe she could start persuing a small bit of happiness once all of this was over. When they managed to defeat Walpurgis and save Madoka from becoming a Magical Girl, maybe she would try to get on good terms with her again. As it was, this just hurt too much for her to make the attempt.

Kyoko kept quiet over that and continued to eat.

 **. . .**

Okay, that settled it; she was right with her earlier thought. Homura had a lot more baggage than one would initially assume; the redhead was now absolutely sure of that. However, she did not want to dig any deeper right now, seeing that they left her alone in regard to sensitive topics as well. Of course she would dig deeper eventually... but not when Yuri appeared to have a minor breakdown. So instead, the Magical Girl continued to refill her bowl a few more times and got to eat; Homura might not be as good a cook as Mami, but she was decent enough. Besides, seeing that the raven-haired girl was busy with tending to her counterpart, there was more for Kyoko.

 **. . .**

It was a strange atmosphere, even for her. Mami did not say a word for quite some time now, she just sat there with her back leaning at the wall; her sister's arms held Candel tight and while this was certainly to her liking, the doll was nonetheless worried about the girl holding her. She did not cry, but the few scents the Witch could pick up from her Magical Girl indicated that she might break down in tears any moment now.

Still, Candel said nothing and just squeezed the blonde as tight as she could without hurting her. Yellow ribbons already enveloped a good part of her waist and arms while coming to rest on her head; it was the only way the doll knew of, the only thing she thought might help to comfort her sister. They were sisters and yet she could not do anything else... that made her sad as well.

 _But what did Lilly say to her? And why did Kyoko know beforehand?_

The others must know what happened, but the Dress-Up Witch was too afraid to ask. What if Mami really started to cry then?

"I.. I am sorry, Candel... that you have to put up with me like that...", the Magical Girl finally said after this long and dull silence. She sounded both tired and sad... and clutched her counterpart tighter as she spoke. The doll purred reassuringly and went to stroke her back. "It's fine, it's fine. You keep up with me whatever happens, so I will always do the same. We're sisters after all."

A weak smile found its way onto the blonde's face and those slender arms easened up their embrace. Mami gently caressed her face. "I know... it is just... I... I did not really get accustomed to the feeling yet... and after what happened with Yuri-san now..."

The doll tilted her head slightly, but this was about her whole reaction. She still had no idea, although she might understand how the Magical Girl felt regarding her Witch; they were polar opposites and absolutely identical at the same time. It made perfect sense to Candel, but she knew that not everyone thought like her.

"It is... I... I confessed my feelings to her... and she turned me down..."

So that was it... strange.

Due to who she was, Candeloro had a faint idea of why her sister was so upset; humans thought of their loved ones in different ways, which was rather redundant. Why not feel the same for everyone and mark it in a single term like she did? Being friends with someone and loving them was the very same thing to her, so she had to be careful on her response. Mami thought differently, so that had to be kept in mind.

Still, continuing to stroke her back and head seemed like a good idea. The Magical Girl seemed to be glad about that, seeing that her muscles relaxed as they continued to sit together.

"But it is not just that... I... I got so angry before... because she always acts as if she knows exactly what I think and feel... and I know she has that good of an understanding of people, but still... to just take everything for granted like this..."

"Mami?"

The blonde stopped when Candel interrupted her, a very slight trickle of tears rolling down her cheeks now. She slowly started to understand the actual problem, which was not the confession in itself... at least not completely.

"Hm?"

The doll gently wiped the tears away before she started to speak. It was important to do this right, or Lilly and Mami might never really become friends.

"You... should keep in mind that Lilly is a Witch, just like me. She has trouble thinking not like herself to understand you properly... just like I have with other people. Lilly loves her words, she loves to muse and to think; she also loves to explain things to others and to make plans. Did you ever tell her that you don't want to hear an in-depth analysis of your psyche? How should she know if you didn't?"

Even Homulilly's capabilities in reading people were limited, Candeloro was well aware of that. Her friend could read the atmosphere and sense the feelings of humans; she also had a fast mind and a good grasp of the human psyche... which allowed her to predict quite a bit of their reactions properly. However, Magical Girls were more difficult by default because of how little any Witch could sense from them.

However, Mami had stopped petting the doll and stared down at her with wide eyes. This continued for a few seconds before the blonde blinked a few times and lowered her gaze. And as much as Candel hated having to continue, she did. For both her sister and her friend.

"Please keep in mind that Lilly is not human. Sometimes, something you believe to be completely obvious never even crosses her mind. She covers it up and is careful, but it becomes noticeable still..."

She was not even sure if Homura actually understood it. So far, none of the Magical Girls seemed to have ever wondered about them; however, the Dress-Up Witch knew. She talked to Lilly more than once and even when her friend might have believed that her explanations had been lost on her, she listened and tried to understand. The other Witch was also a better speaker than her, but Candel wanted to at least explain everything properly to Mami, her very sister... her very self. Nonetheless, she could not speak any more. This was everything she could come up with.

"So... I... I just thought... because Yuri-san is always so adapt..."

The human did not continue on her stuttered response and she did not press the matter. She understood it anyway.

"I know; Lilly is amazing."

"...yes, that she is."

 **. . .**

Despite all of this, she was still at a loss. Even when Candel did have a point, Mami was just not able to get all of this through her head just yet. Her heart was still throbbing painfully and she did not feel like talking to anyone at all. Still, her Witch was with her, wrapped tightly around the blonde. At this point, the doll even started to hum a tune and continued to stroke her back; it felt strangely relaxing, too.

"But still... do you really mean that all of this is... my fault?"

Which was about what this boiled down to, at least from how she understood it. However, it made Candel flinch in surprise and quickly speak up: "Ah, no! That wasn't what I meant, really!"

The ribbons squeezed a bit tighter for a moment, then the eldritch being elaborated: "Um... it's just... hard to explain... you see, I think it was your mistake to misunderstand Lilly's behaviour. But it was Lilly's mistake to not respond properly; just please don't fight over that, yes?"

And suddenly, this calm and collected attitude her Witch displayed before was gone. Mami briefly wondered why it was there for just this short moment... maybe even because of Yuri's influence. She shook off the thought and quickly went to reassure the Witch with a gentle squeeze. "Do not worry, I did not plan something like that."

Even when the other beings' words had hurt her a lot, she would not let this get between them. Mami almost expected to be turned down anyway, she had to keep that in mind. The friends she found were more important than any of that, anyway; the blonde already vowed to herself to cherish them.

 **. . .**

So now they were done eating and not the slightest bit of the meal was left. Just as expected.

Homura stopped herself from rolling her eyes or pinching the bridge of her nose over the gluttony both Kyoko and Lilly displayed... although her sister admittedly did not eat that much, seeing that she had her bowl refilled only twice. This day really got to her when her neverending hunger was apparently on halt for the time being.

Nonetheless, the human-shaped Witch seemed to be at least well enough to put on the void expression her Magical Girl kept wearing all the time. She did not speak any more and neither her nor Kyoko wanted to disturb whatever kind of thoughts she was entertaining. In the end, the time traveler decided to clear the dishes away without saying anything. Maybe she should take a look at Mami as well... but then again, it was most likely better to leave the older girl alone for now.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

The TV was turned off by now and Nagisa changed into her fluffy, white pyjamas. She loved them dearly, especially because they were wonderfully warm. In fact, the girl wore them as often as she could; that made being tugged under a blanket a bit warmer than was likeable, but she felt incredibly comfortable nonetheless.

Her aunt had dropped by to make sure she was at home and fine before bringing her to bed. She even read a bedtime story for her as she sometimes did. Nagisa loved those stories, too.

Today however, once her nice aunt had left, the grade-schooler was still awake. Her hands were holding a gently glowing gem of white crystal, although the material appeared a bit more grey than earlier. Maybe that was the light.

 _Magical Girls and Witches... and Nagisa has to fight..._

There was a strange feeling in her stomach... no, in her whole body; Nagisa was tensing up, growing excited over the prospect of fighting for a good cause. Yuri was now her friend as well and she would meet other Magical Girls tomorrow... surely they were nice and strong big sisters, just as she imagined them to be.

 _'Do you have a moment, Nagisa?'_

The slightly familiar voice had her perk up and look around, only to find Kyubey sitting on her nightstand. His white fur was faintly illuminated by the light coming from her Soul Gem and his eyes seemed to glow in the surrounding dark. He did not move while the girl sat up again, not minding her blanket falling down to her lap. "Oh, it's you. Do you need something from Nagisa?"

She motioned for the strange being to come closer, just as she did with the stray cats she sometimes found on her way. Much to her delight, Kyubey actually came closer and let her stroke his head and back. The fur was so cutely soft and it really felt as if she was coddling a cat... the only real difference was that he did not purr; not at all.

 _'Actually, I wanted to make sure you are fine. As of late... the Witches known as Akemi Yuri and Candeloro are not really happy with me being around, so I stay out of their way to prevent unnecessary violence.'_

So they did not get along? Now that Nagisa thought about it, why did Yuri actually tell her not to talk to Kyubey when they brought her home? There appeared to be no reason for saying something like that...

"Oh, I see... why don't you get along?"

She continued to cuddle him all the time, even going so far as to rub her cheeks against his fur while squealing happily. The feeling was so nice that she wondered if he would mind staying with her.

 _'I'm not sure about that myself, to be honest. Candeloro seems to be genuinely afraid of me while Akemi Yuri either completely ignores my presence or attacks me outright.'_

So... would that not mean that he was actually evil? Yuri was assuredly good after all, so if she said... now Nagisa's head hurt.

Nonetheless, she put Kyubey down and kept looking at him. The girl was conflicted, but she opted to trust Candel; and her Witch-friend had definitely been afraid of this cat-like being, just as he stated a moment ago. So she petted his head sadly and shook her own. "Nagisa is fine, but Yuri and Candel are my friends. I do not know why you scare them, but I don't want that."

He blinked a few times before nodding slightly. _'I see. Watching out for them is very considerate of you, althoughI have to ask you to be careful. Despite the fact that they seem to accept you, they still remain Witches; especially Akemi Yuri is rather unstable, so please keep an eye open. I would not want you to get hurt for no reason.'_

She did not really understand why her friends would attack her, but maybe Kyubey really was concerned. Therefore, Nagisa smiled down at him and nodded herself. "Okay, I will be careful. Good night, Kyubey."

 _'I appreciate that. Good night, Nagisa.'_

And with that, he jumped down from the bed only to vanish in the shadows. The new Magical Girl looked at the point where he vanished a bit longer before lying back down. She was still excited, but she knew that she had school the next day as well.

 **. . .**

Everything was moving in a way not exactly profitable, given the current parameters.

While reviewing the data gathered so far, the Incubator realised that there were still important informations missing. Something would still not add up despite the extensive search for the truth; even calculating possible explanations and counter-checking with the current events had not been fruitful, seeing that there were too many solutions still.

Nonetheless, Kyubey was determined to find out what actually happened in Mitakihara. The sudden rise of potential held by Kaname Madoka was a mystery in itself, although most likely linked to the other unusual occurences; however, it failed to realise the trouble Tomoe Mami would stir up if she went to talk to the girl after her sudden change in behaviour. Miki Sayaka was bound by a Witch's Kiss and could not be made a Magical Girl to change Madoka's mind... and on top of that, all the promising candidates and strong Magical Girl's around Mitakihara had been murdered, with the exception of Sakura Kyoko.

Of course it was possible for all of this to be coincidental, but the chances for that being the case were small. Everything happened too methodical, far too _directed_ to be coincidental. Every one occurence ever since the sudden increase in potential in Madoka was directed against her forming a contract and going by how its latest conversation with the girl went, this group of Magical Girls and Witches was fully aware of the system. They made no attempt to get Kyubey away from this particular girl, but she seemed opposed to the idea of forming a contract even when it appeared to talk to her for the first time.

On the other hand, the Incubator knew that Walpurgis was closing in. The most powerful of all Witches ever observed would make an appearance over Mitakihara before the beginning of May.

If it could at least prevent the situation from escalating further, maybe an opportunity would present itself then. Getting to form the contract right now was impossible anyway.

So Kyubey decided to adjust the plan some more.


	53. Remnant of a Curse II

Lilly and Mami had not spoken to each other this evening. They quietly went to sleep in their respective places, each of them close to their respective counterpart.

It had been a while since her Witch snuggled up to her like this, but Homura could very well guess the reason; she did not hold it against her, though... and besides, this would make it easier to sneak out later on. Which was obviously what they were doing, seeing that a discussion in here might be overheard; of course they could stop time first, but Lilly despised wasting her magic like this. She would not do it even in a situation like this one.

Kyoko was frequenting the couch, just as she did over the last few days and the only person that might still be awake asides from the Akemi-twins was Candel; however the only thing that could be heard from her was the faint rustling of cloth. Mami herself was breathing evenly and lay relaxed on her back.

And then, suddenly, everything became discoloured. Shades of blue were all around them and Lilly slowly sat up. Their hands were intertwined, so only the two of them could move; Homura did the same as her Witch and their eyes met. Cold purple stared into a less cold and more tired purple, but their expressions were still rather similar.

Without a word from either of them, the Magical Girl raised her Soul Gem and transformed before having her shield click in place and stop time as well. A moment later, Lilly relaxed and they both nodded at each other while standing up completely.

This was a useful trick they found out not long ago: they could keep time suspended while handing control over the time-stop to the respective other; to do that, the girl to take over just had to activate her magic before the other one stopped hers.

Now the two Akemis were walking through the living room and past Kyoko, who would not even notice them if they let the flow of time resume.

"I just realised that this will be a really important discussion and we must not give Kyubey the slightest chance to hear it... can you bear with keeping that up for a while, Homura?"

Lilly sounded exhausted, but she seemed to be keen on getting this done still. The Magical Girl nodded as well; there was no reason not to, seeing that there was absolutely no disadvantage coming with her keeping time suspended. "I can. You can just draw out the taint anyway."

"That's not what I meant", her sister replied with a serious note before tapping the middlesection of her index-finger against the buckler. "I mean the sand. Do you still have enough for this month?"

Right, the sand. This red sand that continued to flow downwards whenever she used her magic; once all of it was on the lower end of this hourglass in her shield's center, she could no longer stop time. However, only then was it possible to turn the shield upside down and reset the timeline.

Homura decided to respond in the easiest way possible, namely by raising her buckler and having the eldritch being see for herself: about a sixth of the sand was in the lower half by now. Normally, the time traveler had to use about twice as much for the first two weeks; a lot of weapons had to be stolen, a lot of Kyubeys had to be killed and a lot of people had to be observed. Now that Lilly took up part of this work and observing Madoka as well as Mami became unnecessary altogether, she could afford to spend some of the sand on this conversation. Her Witch saw the amount spent so far and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh, that makes sense."

She left the topic at that and went on. They left over the balcony and jumped up to the roof, where both of them took a seat on the rather cold stone. Homura had her attire, which would lose all the dirt after being disspelled... however, Lilly was still clad in her purple pyjamas. How did she want to remain clean... of course. The Magical Girl understood it the moment Lilly came to sit on her lap.

Of course.

"Do you have to?"

"Why not?"

They stared at each other for a moment, but the look she was given only prompted Homura to sigh and lean backwards a bit. "If you insist..."

She did not particularly mind, but disciplining her sister was also important; Lilly did whatever she wanted a bit too often still, so the time traveler wanted to make sure that she would not get into trouble over that. She put a hand on the eldritch being's shoulder while looking up into the discoloured sky.

"A lot happened so far and I guess that a lot more will happen soon. Why have you stopped talking to me?"

There was a long pause and Lilly apparently tried to get even closer to her, although this was hardly possible. This was not exactly like the Magical Girl expected this conversation to go, but she decided to just accept it and wait for what happened. And a moment after she did, her Witch sighed and started to speak somewhat reluctantly.

"I guess... it was because we have so little opportunity to talk this time around. Look, last time we could discuss things in school and at home and on our hunts and all the time... but I don't feel comfortable talking about our plans with Mami around. I don't go to school anymore and I was hunting by myself most of the time. And when there was an opportunity, I didn't realise or forgot I had to talk to you... so much happened, Homura..."

This was also true; her Witch had been carrying out plans or observed important people most of the time while the Magical Girl was in school, patrolling or training with the others. Still...

"Of course this doesn't excuse it... but I am really sorry and you might be the only I will ever actually apologise to."

Both girls looked at each other for a moment, one with a pleading expression and the other with her usual stoicism. However, the time traveler nodded after a mometn and went to put her arms around Lilly's waist; this was the least she could do to calm her sister, although it felt a bit strange nonetheless. She was hugging herself... they had the same appearance and size, the same waistline and eye-colour, everything about them was completely the same. And yet they were different, with the Witch in front of her carrying all the feelings she herself did not acknowledge, would not acknowledge.

Despite knowing the answer to her next question already, Homura went to ask nonetheless: "Why can't you speak openly with Tomoe Mami around?"

They exchanged another glance and her Witch sighed heavily before turning around and curling up. She came to rest with her cheek on the Magical Girl's chest and her gaze cast downwards. "I don't trust her enough... I probably never will. You don't trust her enough, either; you kept our bond a secret just as I did."

This was true. They never spoke about it, but the time traveler felt this to be something they should not tell anyone about. It was a secret to be kept... however, Lilly did speak about herself far more openly than Homura did for a long time; this should contradict her words, but she could guess what it actually meant.

"I kept the secret, yes. So you don't want to risk being outmaneuvered by betrayal?"

Her sister nodded against her chest. "Yes. I don't trust anyone that can possibly hurt me, so the only one I can trust is you... and I wouldn't even trust you if we weren't immune to each other."

The Magical Girl hugged her sister a bit closer and nodded in understanding. She long since decided not to rely on anyone anymore and her Witch inherited this decision.

"I'm sorry, Homura."

However, these words had her pause for a brief moment of confusion. Lilly mumbled them into her top before looking up. Tears were already forming in the corners of her eyes and the time traveler's eyes widened a bit. Just what was happening right now? And more importantly, _why_?

"What..." "I'm sorry because I know how much I will hurt you tonight. It's possible you will never forgive me for that..."

She blinked, more confused than dreadful. They just had a rather well conversation and all of a sudden, her sister was tearing up and talking like this... still, Homura could see that it would not help if she started asking redundant questions; Lilly would tell her in but a moment, so she slowly nodded. It did not make sense to be reassuring now, either; they both knew that. She had to listen first and tell her it was okay afterwards... if it was okay.

 _But what could possibly be so awful that I... no..._

She just had an idea. A horrifying idea of what her Witch might say; the very one thing that Akemi Homura actually might not be able to forgive or even accept.

"It will not work."

They both stared at each other, one Akemi even more pale than usual and the other with tears rolling down her cheeks. She said it, exactly what the Magical Girl had been afraid to hear. But why would even her Witch think that...

"Please hear me out first... please."

The miserable plea had her snap out of the train of thought once more. Lilly looked as awful as Homura felt; seeing her sister like this still made her heart ache, despite of what she just said. The time traveler did not allow herself actual anger, but she felt it seeping against her control. Still, she wanted to hear the reason, she needed to. Now it was no longer possible to not tell her and they both knew. The Magical Girl willed as many of her thoughts as she could to just stop before nodding slowly. Lilly nodded back, a sliver of gratefulness taking place on her face... on the face they shared.

"Thank you."

The Witch straightened up a bit, but ultimately did not leave her position within Homura's trembling arms. "I thought about it long and hard. We're running against time now, Homura; Mami won't go on like we do... if things grind to a halt and nothing improves once again, she will start to think that we might be wrong... that our way was not the solution. She will either be left behind or do something worse... because the easiest way to prevent the coming of a world-devouring Witch is to eliminate the girl that is to spawn her."

Those words had the time traveler grow cold. It was not that she did not ponder something like this by herself before, it was that Lilly was exactly right; they already knew that Tomoe Mami was not like them. The blonde was probably the most delicate of them. Still, why would they let things escalate in this way?

"We can kill her when this time comes."

"And throw away all the hard work... throw away the one real improvement over all the past timelines... wouldn't that mean that we can not do it even with all of those girls alive?"

They stared at each other and Lilly gently took the Soul Gem from Homura's hand. The crystal was only slightly tainted, but they both knew that this might change very quickly; her Witch had hit her hard with this topic and now Homura was left to wonder: she gave it her all each and every time, but it just would not work out. With Tomoe Mami added into their group, they could hardly scratch Walpurgis and even the additional training they decided on would probably not make the difference.

"But what else should we do?"

Mortal World's Witch clasped the purple crystal in her hands and sighed. "I want to make one last attempt; one last fight on our terms, with all our firepower. I can tell you now that it won't work, though; my fire is useless as is your arsenal, which only leaves Kyoko and Mami... then we will go back and start again... only this time with a different plan. I think..." "Stop."

She could no longer listen to this, needed a break. Homura's calm mask had fallen and now it was her who had to hold back the tears. Lilly looked just the same, although she nodded gently and hid her face. "I know how painful it sounds... and it hurts me so much to even say it... but I know I have to, Homura. I have to because you can't; if you actually thought something like this, you would die in seconds."

And while her Witch spoke, the Magical Girl felt something pulling on her mind constantly. The black orb in Lilly's hands grew with every second.

"So please let me finish this."

It hurt to even think about this. To admit to herself that maybe, maybe her counterpart was right and she did not stand a chance against the Queen of Witches. She would have tried anyway, but... Lilly said she had a plan, right? If she had an idea...

"Okay..."

They both looked at each other again, frightened purple meeting sad purple. A few tears were rolling down the Magical Girl's cheeks and dropped onto her eldritch sister's face, where they mixed with hers.

Slowly, Lilly continued: "I... I believe that Madoka has no choice but to form a contract. If we can manage to gain her trust and bring her to make a wish that prevents her from becoming a Witch, she can live on anyway. Besides of that, we _need_ her to fight Walpurgis; it's impossible to defeat her otherwise... um... I'm still thinking about how to go at the whole thing, but it might work... and... I also have a prototype wish..."

Lilly stuttered into this last sentence and stopped while shadows were cast over Homura's eyes. She did not like this at all... her sister just told her to throw all her caution to the wind and have Madoka contract when everything she did was to prevent this.

Just why was her Witch thinking like that? Did it really look that dark?

Still, she could not just disregard her opinion... so the Magical Girl nodded slightly, however hard it was. Her will kept the complete breakdown away, although it could not stop her voice from breaking over what she had to say... and the question she had to ask: "I... I promised to protect her. Lilly... we... we vowed to not let her become a Magical Girl... because she would die and end up as a Witch... what kind of wish do you think could stop that? Kyubey won't just let it happen..."

Lilly waited patiently until she was finished before telling her. Something so self-explanatory that there was no need to elaborate... in fact, it needed only a handful of words for her to describe what she thought of. And Homura blinked in surprise, the mood completely forgotten for a moment.

She never thought about that. Her Witch was right, though: she never could have thought about it. But there it was, so plain and simple... and something Kyubey could do nothing about if it worked.

"And if that doesn't work, we can just start anew. It's fine if we make the attempt, right?"

They gazed at each other once more, the eldritch sister hopeful and the magical sister in wonder. There was still dark lingering at the corners of Homura's mind, but she now saw what Lilly had already seen. It was a risk to be taken, it was a gamble... but it could work. And after everything she had gone through, the Magical Girl knew she had tried a few things even more strange before.

Therefore, she gently nodded and renewed her grasp on her sister; due to what happened earlier, her hands had come apart. However, Lilly did not mind at all and just continued to stay where she was. She had seen her nod, but did not react to it for now; both of them needed a while to calm down again and Homura was grateful for the time she was given. Additionally, she noticed the rather large sphere of swirling blackness her Witch now held, which was wider than her mouth. Seeing that had the time traveler raise an eyebrow in surprise.

 _I... tainted my Soul Gem this much in less than five minutes?_

They had actually experimented with that once before, having Homura go without a cleansing until the crystal was about two thirds on the way to being pitch black; when Lilly went to draw out the taint back then, the orb she made had about the size of a ping-pong ball... this was at least four times as big.

So in other words, she would have died twice from having this conversation if they had not cleansed her Soul Gem constantly.

This realisation had yet another wave of cold roll through her chest, although it did not stay for long. She thought that Lilly wanted her to give up for a moment there... and everything else spiralled out of control. But now she was at least well enough to get her thoughts back into order, although that would take a minute or two.

 **. . .**

Time passed and did not pass. Everything was discoloured and only they were moving.

Mortal World's Witch kept quiet, just as her sister did; she continued to lean against Homura and listened to her steady heartbeat; she knew that the same determined heart was beating in her own chest, could feel the same warmth radiating from the body she touched, which was also her own. They were not so far away from each other; both of them had problems, although they were different in nature. Lilly sighed after a while and went to take bites out of the orb of taint Homura created. It was too big to be eaten at once by now.

This was also a first, but she did not mind it at all; the energy gently flowed down her throat with the dull taste of utter despair and disbelief. All the while, the eldritch being watched her sister's Soul Gem for signs of rapidly building taint; however, there was none. Homura seemed fine, if a bit worse for wear; her will might have taken care of the remaining doubts already... so now it was time for the other thing she absolutely had to tell the Magical Girl. It made Lilly uncomfortable once more, seeing that she was not sure how her sister might react.

Especially because not even she herself knew what to make of this realisation. She had thought about it as much as possible without ever finding an acceptable solution; this slight shadow of doubt always remained.

"One more thing... about me this time. I... think I figured it out now."

She thought that several times before, but it had always been wrong. Maybe another theory would present itself to her within another month, but this one felt more final than those she found before. Homura managed to get her shaking arms under control by now, so when two sets of purple eyes met, she was back to being as cold as possible... still, the faint sparkle of emotion was visible to the Witch. It became less obvious by the second, but her sister had definitely needed the silence to get her thoughts into order.

"What exactly?"

Homura's voice was a bit hoarse, but neither of them paid attention to that little detail. They probably both knew what this would be about, but there was no harm done in getting one's thoughts confirmed. So Lilly answered: "What I am."

She was given a small nod, which had her sigh and avert her gaze; now came the harder part for the eldritch twin.

"During the last weeks, I had to wonder if I'm actually a Witch. No real body, no barrier, no minions... even when I should have all of those, I don't have them. I know how to make the last two, but can not do it myself. I have a Grief Seed, that I am sure of... but are that and my magic really enough to make me a Witch?"

Her sister did not respond; she did not need to, either. She was giving her enough time to get her thoughts in order... or maybe just wanted to hear what came next before saying anything. In any way, Lilly was grateful for the additional moment to choose the right words. Her heart started to beat faster and she could feel it almost jumping out of its place in her chest. In contrast to that, Homura's heartbeat had become steady again and felt almost soothing to hear. The air was not even cold when time was suspened, but she still had goosebumps.

"I... have to admit that this is still strange. Right now, I am probably some form of hybrid between human and Witch, seeing that I realised what complete Witches don't have; concious thought comparable to a human, I mean."

With all the additional energy she just gained... maybe she should use it to demonstrate what was to come next. Homura still listened, so Mortal World's Witch began to concentrate while raising her right hand up to her sister's gaze. "Witches have no sense of justice comparable to humans... in the past timeline, I stupidly said to Madoka and Miki Sayaka that my kin was doing evil without being aware of that, because it was not evil to them. That was a mistake, I have to admit... evil is just a word you use to discredit others. Good is just a word you use to credit yourself. Every being believes to be justified in their actions, even the two of us... even Kyubey. This is my thought on the matter, but I could not see it at that time."

She paused once more to catch her breath while it slowly started to work; the skin on Lilly's index-finger and thumb turned darker until it was pitch-black before resolving into liquid and just dripping off. Whatever hit their clothes dispersed very quickly... but she heard Homura gasp in surprise over it.

"Witches do what they want to do because it is right to them, just as humans do. The difference is that we have to feed off humans to live, just as humans have to make lesser animals into their food. Of course humans see that as bad... but that's besides the point."

She sighed while still not meeting her sister's gaze and clacked the bare bones of her two fingers together. That was the utmost she could do conciously right now.

"I am currently what you would call sane; I can talk and think clearly. This is the complete opposite of what being a Witch actually means... and so I'm stuck. There is a form closer to my own in this body, these fingers prove it. With me being grounded in human mentality however, I have no access to it. My actual strength lies beneath... Homura, I had another breakdown last week. I actually went deeper into this chasm that is me, which then allowed me to free the complete hand of flesh. If I went deeper, I might get to free both hands or even get off the skin until my elbows. But I can't do that... because I know now. The decision to kiss Miki Sayaka was made while I was still in this state; it makes me more ruthless, less caring about humans. Okay, she was a special case because I hate her anyway, but that's something else."

And still, her sister kept quiet. Maybe she was stunned by now or not yet done staring at her skeletal fingers. Whatever it was, Lilly used the opportunity to carry on uninterrupted: "The closer I get to the actual brink of my powers, the closer I get to return to becoming a complete Witch. If I do, I will most likely lose my self-awareness and all the memories I have; so the stronger I want to be, the more I risk myself as I am now."

There were a few more things she wanted to say, but it was really time for her sister to speak. Homura apparently thought the same, seeing that she squeezed a bit tighter. "I see... so you found that you're more of a stage in-between me and the actual Witch?"

This was what she initially thought and feared. However, the answer was still a bit different. "I guessed that, yes... but no, I actually am Homulilly. However, my complete powers are still locked away and probably always will be; I have no desire to return to mindlessness, you know?"

"But you can still fall into this... chasm as you call it."

Now she looked up again, to meet her sister's gaze. They were both tired at this point, but it had to be said; besides of that, Lilly actually wanted to find her trust in Homura again.

"Yes. But... the difference is that you have no say in the process. I have to conciously decide to embrace my own self. So far, I'm not a fighter or a defender... I might not even count as a supporter. The only thing I am at this point is an executioner; I can not protect, I can only destroy. My Telekinesis is the only ability that can be used for something else than positioning and slaughter, but I feel that I almost reached the borderline of its strength at the point where I could lift two people of average weight separately."

"In short", she finished reluctantly, "my abilities are complete now. Nothing will grow stronger anymore unless I risk my sanity to do so... and I don't want that. Therefore, we have to gather more strength, as much as possible. Candel is a start."

Now it was done. All the secrets she kept even from her sister were out. Homulilly she was, but she would never be complete...

"I see. Thank you for telling me all of this."

Homura's arms squeezed her tighter over those words, but the feelings did not reach the Magical Girl's face. Nonetheless, it made Lilly feel warm and content.

"I tried my best to think about everything you told me so far... and I have to think a lot more, I guess. Can you wait until I'm done weighing my options?"

The warmth dissipated slowly, but this was still more than she actually expected to get in response. A soft sigh escaped her throat while the Witch slowly pushed herself higher until she sat straight again, being face to face with her counterpart. Their noses almost touched from how they sat, but neither of them actually cared; they were the same person after all. "Alright. I don't want to strain your magic so long, though... so let's get back to bed and you can tell me tomorrow... or whenever you're done."

The slender arms holding her were lowered completely and she got to her feet with Homura following right after her. Lilly's hand never left her sister's shoulder and once they both stood, their hands entwined as they did before. Still, there was a sense of harmony the Witch did not have before.

When the red sand stopped flowing and the mechanism snapped back into its regular position, her own mind had already taken over the time-stop. They walked back hand in hand, jumping and landing like one.

"Is there anything else we should say now?"

Lilly had actually been wondering about that, but her sister only shook her head in response. "No, nothing else happened... I think. Although... what did you find in the hospital earlier?"

 **. . .**

Her Witch's hand squeezed a bit tighter and when Homura tried to look her in the eyes, she averted her gaze. "Candel... found a new addition for our group; let's leave it at that for now, okay? I tell you the details tomorrow."

So it was indeed another Magical Girl. Someone who apparently was accepted by both eldritch beings, so she could be sure that it would be fine to work with her. Still, the time traveler wondered why her sister was so tight-lipped about it. She would probably call it a surprise anyway, even if Homura asked about it now; that much was obvious.

"Actually, I'm still thinking about just eliminating her before the others know... and yet, no matter how much I think about it, I see no reason to do so. Especially after what happened with Mami today, training this girl might take her mind off of this."

There was nothing she could add to this statement; despite everything that was said, Akemi Homura still trusted her counterpart's judgement. If Homulilly deemed a Magical Girl acceptable, she would not question this assessment. Therefore, she remained quiet as they kept wandering and entered the bedroom, where everything was just as before. Their conversation must have taken at least half an hour, but the world around them had not changed a single bit. No time had passed.

When both of them returned under the covers and exchanged another glance, she saw the tiredness in her sister's eyes once more. Nonetheless, the human-shaped Witch seemed content with the solution they found.

The attempt would be made.

 **. . . .**

 **. . .**

 **. .**

 **.**

Well... what kind of wish could they have been talking about, I wonder? Who knows, maybe Lilly figured out the solution with Madokami.

I could have revealed this now, but I want to bring in the actual wording of this wish as a surprise... although... feel free to guess what it might be with the information I gave you in this little discussion.


	54. Remnant of a Curse III

When Sayaka woke up, she was in a strange place.

Her eyes opened to reveal not her bedroom's ceiling but a dark sky adorned with greyish dots of light; there were no stars, but those were not clouds, either. She was lying on hard ground, with something that felt like grass tickling her back.

The girl blinked a few times and tried to make sense of all this, but nothing would come to mind. She moved her head and found the shapes of skyscrapers creeping into view; they were completely dark and quietly pierced the sky. It was eerily quiet, now that she took note of that. Not a single bird could be heard, there was no wind to whisper in her ears... it was utterly silent except for the sound of her own heartbeat.

This scared her.

Sayaka sat up and tried to make as few noises as possible, but the rustling she produced by shifting aside the grass she was lying on seemed to echo through the place. It made her flinch and quickly look around... but there was nothing. No reaction to her, which did not help at all. This... this was not right; it was impossible to have a place so quiet. However, here it was: a city that might very well be dead, with walls of black fog shrouding the horizon. Nothing aside this city existed in here... but what was 'here'? And where was it?

While her confused brain tried to make sense of the empty buildings and still environment, the blunette managed to get to her feet completely. But something else was amiss, something she could not really put. Sayaka slowly started to get a good look on her surroundings, which now revealed themselves to be a small park. A handful of trees were placed without any understandable pattern and a neat pathway of cobblestone was running through the field of grass, passing by just a few steps away. A few benches stood where it went, just like they would in any other park... but there was something amiss here as well.

After thinking about it for a moment, Sayaka realised why this looked strange to her: the trees were perfectly still, not a single leaf moved... and there were no flowers, no weeds, no nothing... just grass.

 _This place is strange... but where..._

Then realisation hit her. She _knew_ what kind of place this was... but how did she get in here? How could she have fallen into a Witch's labyrinth?

 _I... I just went to bed, so how is this possible? A-And... didn't she say that no Witch will touch me?_

This made no sense, not at all; what happened to her?

Sayaka had no idea what to do right now, but she could not just stay around here; if she really was right and this was a barrier, there would be other creatures around to look for her. She had to hurry up and find a place to hide until the others came to help her. But where to go?

As her toes slightly pulled on the grass under her feet, the blunette pondered where to go. She had no idea where to find a safe place and monsters might lurk behind every corner. Maybe those trees were monsters, maybe even this park... once she realised that she could very well stand on top of a disguised Witch, she flinched and almost ran off in fright; over her heavily beating heart however, Sayaka was frozen in place out of fear.

She could not hide anywhere. That was what felt so off, now she understood it; this chilling sensation at the depths of her concious mind, the goosbumps she just now realised she had... this feeling that there was something right next to the end of her field of vision, which had her continuously turn her head to see it... now the girl understood what it meant; something was watching her. Unseen, unmoving and without any noise; whatever it was, it knew she was there. It made no sense to hide because she had already been found.

Understanding this made the blunette screech in terror and take off as fast as she could...

...only to awaken and sit up with a startled gasp.

Her hands were clamped around the blanket and sweat soaked her pyjamas, but that did not matter right now. Miki Sayaka drew heavy breaths and stared at the wall with wide eyes, her fluttering nerves and racing heart only gradually returning to an acceptable state; her mind was blank safe for the feeling of utter helplessness she experienced at the end of this strange dream.

Then she fell back onto her pillow and started to sob quietly.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Seeing that they were living at the same place, it had become natural for both Akemi Homura and Tomoe Mami to arrive together. Neither of them even tried to hide the fact, which might have helped stopping strange rumours. The blond third-year earned respect among her peers for being so generous towards a younger girl even; her raven-haired roommate did not comment on that, but they both knew to just act the part.

Today however, Homura found something unusual waiting for her right in front of the classroom: Miki Sayaka, neatly dressed but with barely visible bags under her eyes. The blunette was actively scanning the crowd of students and settled on her the moment indifferent purple met startled blue. Something was weird about the other second-year once again, although it was probably not Lilly's doing this time around. They had their conversation just a few hours ago and her Witch did not mention anything involving this particular person. However, the girl was definitely frightened of something, which no one else seemed to have noticed.

The wonder about her had started to subside by now, so Homura could actually move a bit more freely, without dozens of eyes following her every step. It was not that her stepping aside and joining Miki by the glass wall did go unnoticed, but no one would think much of it. The two girls stared at each other a moment longer before the tomboy started to speak in a hushed whisper: "Hey, um... I... could you... could you tell me if there's any Witches attacking people in their dreams?"

Now this was not the kind of question she expected, but its implications were nonetheless enough to tell the Magical Girl what was going on. She stopped her eyebrow from rising and shook her head the slightest bit. "No. Not only could this kind of Witch be sensed by us still, it would also not go for you of all people. You probably just had a bad dream and are overreacting."

Her voice was level and quiet, although Homura had her own thoughts; could this be a side-effect of Lilly's Kiss that affected _something_ within Miki Sayaka? Maybe she should double-check just to make sure.

"Besides, meet me at the restroom on the second floor once lunchbreak starts."

The time traveler made absolutely sure not to be heard by anyone while saying this; it would only lead to strange rumours, as almost every strange action would. She vastly preferred to get by without such inconveniences, especially because it made getting around the school easier. The other girl had slightly flinched over her words, but nodded right afterwards. "Okay... it's just... you know, that dream felt so real, I actually thought I was awake..."

"We will talk about that later", the transfer student decided to interrupt before this could grow even worse. Someone overhearing their classmate babbling weird things would also lead to trouble; she just had to hope that the blunette would be able to get by without spilling what was on her mind. At least she nodded and awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "Sorry you have to put up with that so early in the morning... I just thought I should let you know..."

She nodded once more and bowed slightly to mark the end of their conversation before walking off and around the corner. Something was not right, that much was clear; she might read too much into this after all, but it meant something when Miki Sayaka of all people bit down her nagging distrust and openly went to Homura for help and advice. On her way into the classroom, she found Madoka sending her a quizzical glance and shrugged, indicating that she had no real idea, either.

 **. . .**

Aside from the raven-haired girl, Hitomi had been trying to find out what was bothering her friend so much just as well. However, she had been far less successfull than Akemi apparently was, seeing that Sayaka seemed to have spoken at once; she wondered why that was... maybe it was connected to whatever her friends were not telling her. The lime-haired girl was not stupid; she noticed the strange atmosphere a week ago already, but there was little she could do about it. Neither Madoka nor Sayaka would tell her what happened, they would just exchange uncomfortable gazes once in a while.

By now, Hitomi had given up on trying to persuade them. Instead of that approach, she made use of the fact that those two were bad at keeping things to themselves by themselves; she knew that she ventured closer to the truth whenever pinkette and /or blunette tried to change the topic or suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Maybe it has to do with Akemi-san after all", the girl mused for her pink-haired friend to hear, who cast a glance at her and shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea, Hitomi-chan... she didn't even tell me what happened."

After all, their friend had this haunted look ever since they met on their way to school. Neither of them could get her to tell them anything and Madoka was probably already overflowing with worry. A few others noticed as well, but no one commented on it so far... the only person the usually so energetic blunette spoke to up until now was Akemi.

At this point, Hitomi really considered just acting over Sayaka's head and asking the raven-haired girl herself whether something happened; she would normally not decide on such a course of action, but this state her friend was in was just not right. Something had to be done... and going by the look Madoka gave her, she thought the same.

Both of them nodded at each other in silent understanding.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

It might not be good to include her well-mannered and also concerned friend in this plan, but Madoka really needed to find out what had happened. The pinkette could not bring herself to stop worrying; every time she saw Sayaka hunched over in her seat, taking notes and trying to be attentive, another surge of uneasiness shot through her heart.

Maybe it was because of Yuri? But she said she would not do anything to her friend, so could this really be?

As lunchbreak approached, she had already decided on catching Homura before she could wander off; the raven-haired Magical Girl seemed to be pondering something as well, if her slightly bowed figure was any indication. She did not take any notes, at least as far as Madoka could see; however, the transfer student would throw glances at both her and Sayaka once in a while... she only caught her once, but that was enough to solidify the worries.

When they were dismissed for lunch however, the other fourteen-year-old had packed up and left with a lunchbox in hand before either her or Hitomi even managed to stand up. Such swiftness was not unusual for the Magical Girl, but it made the two exchange unhappy glances while they hurried to get their own things sorted. Sayaka was taking longer, but the two quickly went past with Madoka walking backwards for a moment and smiling apologeptically. "Sorry, Sayaka-chan... there's something Hitomi-chan and I wanted to talk about, so go ahead without us."

Seeing that their blue-haired friend never brought a lunch of her own on Mondays, they both knew that she would be found in the cafeteria; therefore, the smaller girl quickly turned around and hoped that her words would not be offending.

"Oh... okay."

That was everything she heard, but at least Sayaka did not sound angry.

Good, so this part worked.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Having Miki Sayaka speak of strange dreams was admittedly unusual; the same went for walking these corridors with a set goal. In fact, Tomoe Mami was awaiting her on the roof again, but it was alright if she delayed her arrival a bit. They had enough time.

However, the constant tapping of feet behind her was somewhat irritating. Homura had already taken two turns she did not necessarily have to take just to find out if they were really following her. There was currently no one else around, seeing that most people were either in the schoolyard, their classrooms or the cafeteria... not one of the connecting corridors. Using the glass walls to make out the reflection of those tailing her made the time-traveler sigh inwardly. Of course.

After a while of just wandering aimlessly -seeing that it would be stupid to lead them close to where she was to meet with Miki-, she just stopped. It took more than three seconds before both sets of steps were silenced as well and all of them stood still. The urge to pinch the bridge of her nose was strong, but she prevailed and refrained from it; those two were not trained in the art of following others undetected and maybe they did not even try that. Still...

"If you were trying to follow me unnoticed, you failed outstandingly."

Her voice did not have an echo, but it might very well do with how hard it sounded even to herself. Turning around, Homura found both Madoka and Shizuki Hitomi standing in a state of mild surprise. "Anyone would have noticed once they left the crowded corridors."

Madoka scratched the back of her head while laughing sheepishly, which was somewhat expected... however, Shizuki only nodded with her expression turning grave. She was also the one to speak, which made the pinkette by her side go quiet at once: "I am sorry for that, Akemi-san, but... both of us saw not much of a choice in what to do. Would you have a moment to tell us what you spoke about with Miki-san?"

She did not raise an eyebrow; that would have been rude right now. Worry about a friend at least explained their behaviour, but coming to ask her of all people was nonetheless a bit off-putting. Homura wondered what exactly she should tell them; Madoka would not be happy anyway and Shizuki might not even believe her.

So a lie it was. Quickly producing something from the back of her memory and arranging the words properly, the Magical Girl started to speak. Miki Sayaka did not mean much to her, seeing that the girl was just another piece on Kyubey's side of the board. Sighing inwardly, Homura hurried up with producing more words to be spoken.

"I wonder if I should tell you if she didn't do it herself, Shizuki-san. Aside from that, there is not much I know, either: I merely offered to hear her out if something bothered her a few days ago."

This was as much as she would allow those two to know, although she prepared a bit more in advance. However, neither of the other girls seemed keen on pressing the matter; pink and green eyes were slightly widened in surprise, but that was it. There might be some more to mention, but this was not the time.

"Um... I... I see. Of course I understand that you can not just tell us... it is just... is there really nothing we as her friends needed to know about?"

Thankfully for all of them, the green-haired girl stood a few steps in front of Madoka with her gaze focussed on the time traveler, which was why she did not see the smaller girl hang her head in shame. The pinkette already knew far more than she let on and might feel as if she was betraying her other friend's trust, but there was no helping it. Homura shook her head and turned around. "I could not think of anything, although she hasn't told me anything important anyway."

"I see... thank you for taking care of Sayaka-san, Akemi-san."

"Y-Yes. thank you very much, Akemi-san!"

Going by the rustling of cloth she heard behind her, both girls were bowing. Still, Madoka's voice had her pause for a moment and consider; then the Magical Girl shrugged internally.

"Homura is fine."

And walked off.

 **. . .**

The two girls left back in the empty corridor exchanged glances over the unexpected response. Light fell through the transparent ceiling and illuminated them a bit... but mostly did it illuminate the leaving figure of Akemi Homura, seeing that she stopped right after entering the part already in its grasp when first speaking to them. Both Madoka and Hitomi were still in the mostly shadowy part, but the light was creeping up to them. They looked at each other and shrugged, although neither of the two could stop herself from smiling. As it seemed, their friend was at least in good hands; surely she would talk to them eventually.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Talking to these two and shaking them off delayed her quite a bit, but this would at least help in preventing rumours; if both her and Miki Sayaka were seen entering the probably least frequently used bathroom in this building in rapid succession... she did not want to think about it. At least the room was on her way and no one around to see her enter. Thankfully, there was no one inside except her blue-haired classmate; it would have been incredibly bothersome to have other people around right now.

The girl turned her head from the mirror she was looking into once she heard the door close, but Homura paid her no mind so far. The Magical Girl tried to listen whether there was someone in the stalls behind them, but found that the only breathing in this room belonged to her and her classmate. For good measure, she also went to Sayaka's other side and listened again; the result was the same as before, she heard nothing but them. Good, that should be fine.

"Why do you think that a nightmare was produced by a Witch?"

Which was about how she saw this. The blunette probably just had a particularly bad dream and became paranoid.

Purple and blue met for a few seconds, but the regular girl quickly lowered her gaze and continued to stare at her sleep-deprived reflection; for how long had she been doing that anyway? "I... I don't know... it just felt so... so _real_... it's hard to describe actually. As if... as if I had actually really been there. If that was just a nightmare, then I've never had a real one before."

The Magical Girl stopped herself from pointing out that her own nightmares made it impossible for her to follow this explanation properly; events from past timelines continued to haunt her anyway. Images of bloodstained hands, bodies and concrete, tearful faces and bubbling blackness forming abyssal creatures. She never complained, though; this was something she had to bear with until she could finally end all of it.

Still, this was not what she was here for. The raven-haired girl nodded slightly over the explanation before pondering her options for a moment. Lilly already had so much weight laden on her shoulders... she did not want to add this situation unless she was absolutly sure of Miki Sayaka's state being linked to the Kiss on her neck. If she just dismissed it, the girl might break under stress. However, finding out what exactly happened sounded like a good start.

"What happened in this dream of yours?"

The other girl started to explain at once, although she never met Homura's gaze. "I... it started with me waking up in some kind of park. I had no idea where I was, but everything felt normal enough... so I didn't question it at all. Um... but the sky was all black with just a few bright specks and this strange city around me lay silent. No lights, no people, no nothing... there weren't even flowers in this park, I noticed that... and no wind, either."

The description she gave did not make for a convincing nightmare. What would be so bad about a quiet city? Homura could not really put it yet, but maybe they were right before the point where everything turned into a hellish landscape?

"Then... I realised that there was actually really nothing. No sounds at all except those coming from me... and I just got this strange feeling, no I suddenly _knew_ that there was something watching me. But I couldn't see it and had no idea where it was and... and then I really woke up."

 **. . .**

She did not really expect her classmate to understand. Sayaka knew that it did not sound like much, but the fear she felt carried over from the dream; she just could not get it out of her head, no matter what she tried.

"That was it?"

She nodded weakly before hiding her face from the other girl. "I know it sounds stupid, but these feelings just won't go away... I can't even concentrate properly anymore... it feels as if there is something watching me even now..."

The blunette did not dare to meet those cold eyes she knew were directed at her. Why was she even bothering Akemi, who could probably not do anything for her? Maybe this really was just a nightmare and she overreacted, but it felt so real that she just could not forget it.

"I see. As disheartening as it may sound, there is not much I can do for you. Show me your neck."

This was about what she expected, but Sayaka complied anyway. She wordlessly shuffled around and loosened her bowtie; following that, Akemi carefully pulled down the other second-year's collar and took a look at the mark both of them knew was there. Soft fingers were brushing her skin and made the girl shiver for a moment... then she blushed over realising what just happened. If the transfer student noticed, she did not let on about it and quickly finished her examination.

"It seems to be fine. There were no differences."

Once Akemi let go of her collar, Sayaka quickly rearranged it and tightened her bowtie before turning back to meet the other girl's gaze. A never-changing expression looked back at her and the blunette found herself at a loss; what should she do now? Could she really just push the nagging sensation aside like that? It was still there, reminding her of something watching her every movement.

Still, Akemi said that there was nothing, she checked that mark -which Sayaka still refused to think of as a kiss- and told her that it was not doing anything, either. So the girl should be fine. She should be, but she was not.

Nonetheless, Sayaka was grateful that the transfer student took the time over something like this and forced a grateful smile while bowing. "I see. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

She was given a strange look and the Magical Girl transformed then and there... before vanishing, as if she had never been around. Sayaka blinked and turned her head in wonder, but then figured that it must be some kind of magic. Now that she thought about, teleporting from home to school would be really convenient...

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Lilly kept lying in bed for quite some time. Right after breakfast, the Witch returned to the futon she shared with Homura and just stayed there; she did not feel like patrolling or doing anything important right now. She did not feel like thinking or planning, not even like eating. Candel and Kyoko went out to hunt together, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

She was worried, immensely so. However, only time would tell if there was any need to be worried to begin with. Yet she did not smile. She was not happy, even.

Next up was Momoe Nagisa's introduction to her group and she still wondered if this was the right choice.


	55. Gears of Fate I

Um... I kind of think I forgot to put up an update yesterday.  
Well... sorry?

* * *

She felt better now; not completely back in shape, but at least better. Mami had some time to ponder the situation they were in some more, so now she could concentrate on other things. Yuri was nowhere in sight once again, this time because she wanted to go get something; neither her nor Kyoko had any idea about what it might be... Homura seemed to know, but she kept quiet.

The blond Magical Girl suppressed a sigh and wondered what would happen now. They were meeting at the construction site, just as the raven-haired girl had wanted them to for a reason still unknown.

 _If she would just tell us about those things earlier..._

Mami did not really mind having to go out here, seeing that they would be practicing anyway. She let her mind wander, imagining what exactly Yuri was up to today; her heart was still throbbing painfully from what happened the day before and it took a full three Grief Seeds to keep the Soul Gem clean, but she was somewhat steady at this point. That might change the moment she actually had to interact with the Witch today, though... maybe it was a bad idea to meet up with everyone so soon after all. Yuri stayed away from their training most of the time anyway, so what might be different today?

When their Soul Gems started to gleam, the three Magical Girls exchanged glances and nodded. So their Witches were nearby and closing in... over the regular walkway coming from the center of town.

"Okay... I know I'll find out in a minute or two, but what's with the secrecy?", Kyoko wanted to know with a curious smile directed at Homura; however, the time traveler just shrugged slightly and directed her gaze in the direction they knew the Witches came from. "Lilly didn't tell me all that much, either. From how I understood it, they wanted the reveal to be a surprise."

Nonetheless, she did not seem all that happy with whatever she was told beforehand.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like Yuri at all. You've really got no idea why she's doing that?"

The youngest of the group -going by physical age- shook her head, which was the only response she gave. In this very moment, the two Witches came into view... and there was someone with them. Mami blinked with a mixture of surprise and confusion over seeing a small girl following the raven-haired Witch; she could not be older than eleven or twelve and her hair was completely white. To top it off, the child wore a pink dress with white polka dots; the same uniform Mami recalled wearing in elementary school.

"Okay. What?!"

Kyoko's statement was spot-on in describing the blonde's state of mind. This was probably the last thing she expected to happen after this kind of exposition; who was this girl and why was she here? What did she have to do with Yuri... and why was Candel perched on her shoulder?

A glance to the side showed her that both the red and purple Magical Girl were as surprised as she was, although this was difficult to tell with the latter; her slightly narrowed gaze was the only indication that something was different than usual.

 **. . .**

As the other group closed in on them, Kyoko wondered if she should feel curious, bothered or angry. This girl was either mind-controlled by Yuri or another Magical Girl... and going by how cheerful Candel was waving and how bright the child smiled, it was the latter. Kyubey really got a few of them early...

The raven-haired Witch smirked as usual as she came to a halt right in front of them; the Dress-Up Witch leaped down from the shoulder she sat on and the younger girl's smile cracked a little bit over her and Homura looking her over. Mami was probably the only one who would do it a bit more discrete, but what did Kyoko care if the competition was scared of... wait. That was probably not competition.

With dawning understanding, the redhead put a hand to her forehead.

 **. . .**

Homura had a hard time not pinching the bridge of her nose. She did that far too often with Lilly around.

For now however, her gaze was lying on the uncomfortably shifting girl her sister brought. So this was the one to become Charlotte? It became quite a bit more morbid to find out that it was not a teenager becoming one of the strongest Witches to be found this month, but a girl of nine, maybe ten years.

"Such variety in your reactions."

Her Witch continued to smirk and patted the child's head, whose smile had diminished into insecurity. "And I even went to all the trouble of bringing along more firepower and a healer to boot."

This had at least her gaze wander away from the Magical Girl. Homura had known what they were to meet here, but she actually expected someone at least a bit older; the mentioning of healing powers did not bode well, though. It was very likely that this girl made a wish for someone else; this tended to backfire spectacularly, so her sister must have thought about this a lot. If Lilly found it alright however... so should she.

Before the time traveler could respond however, the younger girl started to fidget under Mami's and Kyoko's critical eyes... even the blonde was examining her like that? She must really be out of it today. However, she was also the first one to stop this treatment; Kyoko remained with her doubtful expression while the child bowed shakily. "Um... I am Momoe Nagisa... uh... I am happy to meet you all."

Reluctant, but brave enough to push through even under their gazes; that might be something to work with. The other veterans exchanged glances while Homura kept her gaze leveled on their new addition. It was already decided anyway, ever since Lilly brought her in sight. "What exactly are your abilities?"

The child flinched and turned her way, but quickly averted her gaze and continued to fidget. "Um... Nagisa is not sure how it works, but she can heal others and make bubbles."

The first part sounded promising, but Homura felt her eyelid twitch over hearing the end. What good should bubbles of all things be?  
Apparently, she was not the only one thinking that; Kyoko snarled at the startled child and then turned to cast a disbelieving glance at Lilly, who continued to smirk as if this was the best thing in the world. "What was that about firepower? D'you expect the Witches to die from laughter because her bubbles tickle them to death?"

Nagisa flinched once again and lowered her gaze even more, but Lilly's cheerful voice had her look up again... just as everyone else: "Oh, just wait until you see how they work."

"Before we do anything of that kind however, I do believe we should introduce ourselves", Mami chimed into the conversation with her usual smile. So at least that was back to normal, which Homura decided to be a good thing. The blonde bowed gently towards their new addition. "I am Tomoe Mami, this is Sakura Kyoko", the redhead nodded and rolled her eyes when she was motioned at, "and this is Akemi Homura."

She nodded once to acknowledge the younger girl before interrupting Kyoko, who had already opened her mouth for another rant... probably. "Seeing that you will join us as of today", for which both veterans threw her surprised glances, "I figure we should start with assessing the magic you can use so far."

Nagisa nodded slowly and stopped fidgeting for now, but Homura could still see her uneasiness. "Please transform."

Before the child could follow her instruction however, the time traveler had raised her own Soul Gem and was engulfed by purple light; when it died down, she found orange eyes staring at her with an awed expression. Wait, those orbs were not just orange... they became completely yellow towards the center. Nagisa kept looking at her and apparently took in her new appearance; Homura let her. They did have that much time.

After a while of silent staring however, the younger girl snapped out of her stupor and quickly bowed. "Ah, I'm sorry!"

She just waved it off. "It's fine."

Kyoko and Mami were watching them with mixed expressions while Lilly and Candel took a few steps away and formed a group of their own. The Dress-Up Witch bobbed up and down in visible excitement while Mortal World's Witch had finally stopped smirking and observed the Magical Girls with a blank expression.

Nagisa fidgeted with her Soul Gem for a moment, then held it up in a somewhat triumphant motion before being enveloped in white light. The improvised stance was not really necessary, but the child probably thought that it was.

"Hey, Homura... not to spoil the mood, but how d'you want to rate her healing when no one's injured?"

While the white light died down and revealed the youngest Magical Girl, the time traveler blinked in Kyoko's direction before tilting her head slightly. At the same moment, she the small knife Lilly threw her way and held it loosely; the redhead took a step back with a wary expression while Mami eyed the weapon in wonder. "Now wait a sec! What're you doing with that thing?"

Nagisa was watching the scene as well, but Homura paid no mind to her for the moment. She continued to look at the pragmatic Magical Girl. "You are correct, Sakura Kyoko: none of us is injured at the moment."

With that said, she turned to the younger girl; however, Lilly chimed in before she could even ask: "I already assessed a few things by myself. Nagisa does not react badly to seeing blood... although you probably should not start with cutting something off and have her put it back on, that might be too much for her age."

The others flinched and eyes were directed at the raven-haired Witch, who remained standing with Candel right next to her. "Y-Yuri-san... you did not hurt Momoe-chan, did you?"

"I doubt that", Homura cut off her sister this time. A sideway glance met Mami's concerned yellow orbs while the time traveler angled the knife. "Lilly and I think alike; I can very well guess what she did to find out this much."

"And... what would that be?"

The Witches sighed in synch over the rather obvious answer while Kyoko's posture relaxed; she probably thought that Homura would injure her before, which was obviously not true. Lilly's course of action was viable. Thus, in response to the blonde's question, she wordlessly lowered the weapons tip over her wrist; it sunk until it drew blood and the older girl gasped in realisation. "Homura-san, wait... there must be..."

She did not let her finish and drew the weapon backwards, thus cutting open the skin and flesh below up to her elbow. It merely stung as if she had stubbed her toe, even when she saw the crimson liquid trickle down her arm and soak her sleeve. Mami whimpered over how bad the wound looked and turned away while Kyoko eyed them both with a sigh of her own. "Y'know... I'm still not sure if you're just thorough or crazy."

"We are both", Lilly noted while giving Nagisa a weak push. "Now is your turn to shine. Go ahead."

 **. . .**

The girl quickly got moving over her own shock; she did not expect this to happen again... and she definitely did not like that people hurt themselves because of her. Yuri had been one thing and did not make a wound this big... but now Nagisa really started to feel bad. As in really, really bad.

Nonetheless, she quickly went over to the other raven-haired beauty and tried her best not to look at what was below the bloody cut; her hands filled with magic and started to shine before the Magical Girl put them right amidst the cut. It flowed out of her own body and into the older girl, knitting everything back together in a rather short amount of time. It might be just a minute, wherein she could feel all the damaged tissue grow back together. It felt weird to instinctively know this, but she did so nonetheless; Nagisa shivered and looked up to meet Akemi Homura's calm gaze. She was still a bit intimidated by how they all looked at her earlier, but this girl might be actually nice; she was obviously related to Yuri, who was a nice person after all... so...

"Um... could you... please stop hurting yourself? Nagisa doesn't like that..."

It was little more than a pained whisper, but she really had to say it. If someone else got the idea to try that, she might actually start crying; it would be so embarassing to act like a baby in front of older girls...

However, the gaze she was given did not change in the slightest; Akemi gently loosened the younger girl's hands and examined her completely restored arm -when did the process finish?- for a moment. "Of course. You handled the sight rather well for your age, though."

It was as much of a question as it was a statement, even Nagisa understood this. Her hands moved to scratch the back of her head, but she remembered that they were full of blood in time to stop herself. Come to think of it, she stepped into the puddle on the ground as well... and it was now that the irony scent became noticeable to her for the first time. Strangely though, it did not bother her as much as she thought it should; Nagisa clearly remembered the clinical stench from the hospital as well... somehow, the blood was not as bad in comparison.

"T-Thank you..."

Yuri patted her head once more while the other older girls walked a bit closer and examined Akemi's arm; the Magical Girl carefully slid away the torn and bloody cloth from her pale skin. "Everything is perfectly fine. Her healing is effective, albeit a bit slow; we can work on that, though", the raven-haired girl noted with a sideway glance her way. Nagisa nodded and lowered her head; so she had to be faster than that... would that work?

"Nonetheless, healing abilities are comparably rare. She will complement the group's composition well."

Yuri cast a glance around while Candel jumped on the other Witch's shoulder and nodded in agreement.

The blond girl -Tomoe?- gave her an accepting nod and a kind smile, which made Nagisa relax a bit. It seemed as if she had been accepted... was it really that bad that everyone had to be so careful?

"I agree; I am happy to work with you from now on, Momoe-chan."

 **. . .**

Good, that left only one person unconvinced. Unfortunately, Lilly could already guess just what kind of trouble Kyoko would give them in this case; she just realised something very, very bad when Mami spoke; Nagisa was probably about the age the redhead's own little sister should be and her last name sounded almost exactly like the other girl's first name. The Witch could see hurt flicker in their sturdiest member's eyes for a moment over the similar sounding names, but pretended not to have seen it. Pressing the matter would not bode well.

"What do you think, Kyoko?", Candel added without missing a beat and completely oblivious to Lilly's thoughts; granted, the Dress-Up Witch probably did not inherit this part of Mami's memory and had no idea of the landmine she just stepped on. To make matters worse, her question prompted everyone else to look at the redhead as well; Lilly could see a few muscles in her face twitch over that, but the Magical Girl did a remarkable job of keeping her composure. Still, the agitated glance she threw at Nagisa could easily be mistaken for anger, which made the child flinch and retreat a few steps.

"Um... Kyoko? I know she is a bit young, but..." "Yeah, do what you want."

Kyoko interrupted Mami without a care in the world, turned around and marched off. Five gazes followed her and once the redhead was out of hearing distance, Lilly sighed heavily and lifted Candel from her shoulder. "Well done, really... now we have one more girl sulking the days away."

She placed the confused doll on Mami's head, who gave her an honestly alienated stare. "What exactly do you mean with that, Yuri-san? There was no reason for her to react like that."

So she really forgot. Lilly exchanged a glance with Homura, who nodded her agreement; so at least one other person remembered. Mortal World's Witch tilted her own head and returned the look while both of them ignored Nagisa for the moment.

"Is that... Nagisa's fault? Did Nagisa do something wrong?"

Before she could speak however, the younger girl already asked away. Lilly shrugged while shifting her attention to the child after all. "Not exactly; no one can blame you for your age."

Still no understanding on Mami's part, so she really had to spell it out for the blonde; she probably forgot about this part completely over everything that happened in the last few weeks. "Aside from that, Kyoko has not always been an only child."

The effect was instantaneous as it was thorough; The older girl's eyes widened in shocked realisation, she paled until she could rival Homura's skin colour and her head snapped into the direction Kyoko stomped off into. "Oh no, I... I completely forgot! I have to..." "No, you don't."

Lilly put a hand on Mami's shoulder to stop her. "I will go and talk to her; you and Homura can take a look at Nagisa's other abilities."

They stared at each other, one girl panicking and one Witch calm. After a few seconds, the blonde gave in and lowered her head in shame. "A-Alright..."

 **. . .**

When her sister went and left, there were only four of them left. The time traveler did not particularly mind if training would be suspended for one day or even a week, seeing that they worked up a well-enough synergy so far. Now they had to integrate Momoe Nagisa, who was accepted by Mami at least. Kyoko would follow this decision as well, she just needed some more time.

"What did she mean?"

The middle-schoolers turned their gazes to find the youngest of their group looking at them with a quizzical glance. Mami still had this pained expression, so Homura decided to take over this explanation: "Sakura Kyoko is looking back on... bad memories regarding her own sister, who should have been about your age. Don't take her oppostion personally."

She just had to be careful not to give away anything concrete, or the redhead would probably try to kill her for that. Nagisa on her part lowered her gaze over the response she got. "Oh."

"We should return to examining your abilities; Lilly will be fine on her own."

The other two nodded, although both of them were a bit reluctant by now. The time traveler decided to keep today's session short and use the remaining time to ease up their newest addition.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

She was... conflicted. Not over that new girl Yuri brought, but about her own views on the matter; normally, Kyoko would have rejected someone else because they were competition. This one, however... she wanted to reject her so that the girl would not need to fight. She was too young for that kind of thing, far too young.

But that made no sense. The redhead remembered beating up at least one girl that age over the last few months, so why would this one be different?

Another sensation mixed into her frantic thinking, although she noticed it a while ago already. A Witch's aura was pulsating closeby, indicating one of the eldritch creatures no fifty meters away; Kyoko actually hoped for it to be a regular Witch, so that she could beat something up... however, the aura was far too familiar for that. In fact, the Magical Girl started to notice a certain sense of... calmness in Yuri's presence recently, as if she was emanating that as well; maybe this was what the human-shaped Witch meant with distinguishing between different beings...

She shook her head to get the thoughts away; that kind of thing was not important right now. However, it made Kyoko somewhat angry to know that someone was following her. Could this girl not take the hint and leave her alone?

Deciding that it did not matter, the Magical Girl took another turn and vanished into a smaller alleyway. There were too many people in the streets right now. As if in response to her action, Yuri's presence shifted from somewhere behind her to diagonally above... which meant that the Witch changed position onto the roof. She remained unheard and out of sight, but Kyoko did not really pay attention anyway. She still had to figure out what to do about this little girl... now that she thought about it, why did Yuri let her form this god damned contract to begin with?

It was tempting to just assume she just did not care and call her out on it, but the redhead was not that hotheaded... at least not as far as she knew; she wanted to get this right, especially when the raven-haired Witch was the reason she got her... maybe only friend back. That was the least she figured she should do; not erupt in rage and destroy every bit of progress they made during the last week. She was level-headed enough for that, right?

Much to her dislike, Kyoko was not as sure about the answer as she thought she was.

The redhead had continued to walk over her thoughts, but came to a stop now; she was quite a bit away from the main streets, in a place most 'upstanding citizens' would never visit. The only other being around was a stray cat sitting in a shadowy corner.

"Okay, come on out. I know you're there."

Her voice echoed faintly over the dirty walls and the feline became attentive, only to suddenly jerk up and run away when Yuri appeared right next to Kyoko. The Witch's face did not betray any emotion and she did not speak for the moment, either. Now that they stood together however, the redhead wondered what exactly she wanted to tell the other girl; on the one hand, she was still angry about being followed... on the other hand though, it was... nice of someone to make sure she was alright.

Nonetheless...

"Why're you following me?", she finally settled on a rather neutral approach to the topic. It was obvious anyway, but maybe Yuri's response would give her enough time to finally get her thoughts back into order.

Sadly though, the human-shaped Witch gave her a look that told her she had been found out already. "Why would I be following you, I wonder? I wanted to tell you something to appease your conscience with."

Wait a second. That was not the kind of thing Kyoko expected to hear right now; it was more on the lines of Yuri asking for why she went off by herself to begin with. The redhead's eyes narrowed slightly once she understood that Mami probably told them far more than they had any right to know.

The Witch simply leaned onto a somewhat clean part of the wall and sighed. "What's with that look? Are you that unhappy with someone trying to help?"

The Magical Girl blinked a few times while getting her anger under control again; it would not do to throw a tantrum right now anyway. However, she was still not happy about the situation; Neither of the raven-haired twins should know about her past, so why did Mami tell them? While she was at it... _when_ did Mami tell them? It must have been before she came over here, so... maybe she should just ask, really. Yuri had no reason not to tell her. Thus, Kyoko snorted and went to lean next to the Witch. "Nothing like that. I'm more interested in why you're so sure what that's all about."

"...Right. I forgot you had no idea, I guess."

A lithe hand was placed on her shoulder, probably meant to calm her down... but before the redhead could snarl at her companion, the world around them became distorted. Everything now had a bluish tone from one moment to the next; it did not help that she could now actually feel the dark power surging through Yuri. This felt... wrong.

The surprise kept her quiet while purple eyes lit up with amusement. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? You asked, so I will answer you. What I'm telling you now will never be repeated, you will not mention it to anyone, especially not Kyubey... even the slightest hint would probably allow the rat to piece everything together."

Now what was that kind of exposition, especially with the orders she was given? Kyoko heard it in Yuri's voice; those were not conditions, they were definitely orders meant to be heard and obeyed. Just what kind of secret would make the Witch shift in behaviour like this?

"Akemi Homura contracted on the last day of April, a little less than four weeks into our future; she wished to go back in time to protect a dear friend of hers."

This hit her completely unexpected. Kyoko did not even know something like that was possible; however, the Witch did not give her time to get this information down before continuing: "She went back and tried again, only to fail once more. So she continued her journey backwards in time, leaving behind the ruins of Mitakihara in the wake of Walpurgis each and every time. She lost count of how often it happened up until now and from my fleeting memories, we should be somewhere around the hundredth's time. Each and every attempt made so far has ended in tragedy; Kaname Madoka, whom she thought to protect, would not survive. Each and every time, she would make a wish to protect this hometown of hers or one of the Magical Girls residing here. Still, it was not enough yet; even when Homura memorised every last event in Mitakihara, moved through timelines where you told her about your past or where she learned more about Tomoe Mami, she had to discard her progress in the end. Despite that however, she carries on with her task and will do so for as long as is necessary."

A wide-eyed stare was about the only response Kyoko could give right now; the problem with this explanation was that it made _sense_ , however weird it might sound. Time travel, while the redhead never thought about it, was probably something a Magical Girl could do. So if Yuri said the truth -which she had no reason not to do at this point-, then she was dealing with a time traveler of all things. So all of this strange colouring around them meant... what exactly? That time was stopped for everything but them?

Suddenly however, another realisation made a piece of the puzzle click into place: Mami was acting strange; more forgiving and lenient, almost timid at times... but also more steady than she might have ever been.

"And Mami was drawn into this, too?"

The Witch nodded with a somber expression. "Yes. With my birth at the last timeline's beginning, we found a way to take others along on our journey. She was quite a piece of work, especially once she learned about the final transformation from Magical Girl to Witch, but we managed to keep her alive and take her with us."

Yuri did not express much emotion over what she said; the human-shaped Witch closed her eyes and sighed while leaning back, although her hand never left Kyoko's shoulder. "Granted, she's _still_ a piece of work... but I can work with that."

"Heh, if you say so", the redhead replied with a smirk. She slowly found back to her usual ways, although having all of this revealed to her still took its toll; however, this was nothing a good night's rest could not cure. There was no reason to distrust Yuri's words at this point, especially when Mami's strange behaviour finally made sense. The reinforced secrecy became understandable as well, just as much as the fact that Kyubey had not yet figured out what this was about.

 _So she knows because of time travel..._

Kyoko was still not happy about those two girls being in on her past, but there was very little she could do about it. Additionally, what could she say if it was really her... another her... who told them? This became confusing really quick, so the redhead decided to just accept the facts and think about something else.

"Any more secrets? If not, you can turn your magic off now."

The Witch smirked in response and the world returned to its normal colours. Sounds she never even realised were missing returned, such as the distant rumbling of cars or the murmuring of small crowds. The barely audible swishing of a breeze blowing through the alley added into the mix as well and Kyoko shook her head to shake off the strange sensation. Yuri had returned to a serious expression and watched her, the hand finally retreating. "I won't tell you what to do, but I can assure you that this girl is better off with us. Nagisa is capable of doing the job if given the chance."

Of course she was; every Magical Girl could do the job. Sadly, it was not even the doubt for the child's abilities that upset her; Kyoko simply did not want to see her anywhere near to a fight. As a healer though, she would be far in the back...

"I'll have to think some more 'bout it."

After a few seconds of silence, when the Witch took this as her cue to leave, Kyoko added something with a slightly grim expression: "Y'know what I hate about you?"

This made the girl stop and turn back with a raised eyebrow. The look Yuri gave her was a silent motion to continue, which the redhead did. "I hate it how often you're right."

It was really getting on her nerves how often this Witch was actually right about things by now; not that she could blame her for being smart, though.

The eldritch being just smirk in response and shook her head. "You just never catch me saying something wrong; this is one of the few things I'm good at."

She vanished with those words and left Kyoko to her own devices.


	56. Gears of Fate II

"Try it again."

Nagisa nodded and raised the trumpet to her lips once more; she never thought about how interesting it would be to observe this kind of thing: the grade-schooler got to explore her own abilities under Tomoe's and Akemi's guidance.

She gently inhaled and softly blew air into the instrument, releasing a small stream of bubbles with a low howl; it was far smaller than the hail she let loose the day before, when Yuri told her to do so. They were trying to find out how to regulate the amount right now, to be exact.

The bubbles floated towards a blue barrel the older girls put up and popped upon hitting it; with each of the delicate little things hitting it, the metal got cuts and dents until its top was ripped away. Not much more happened, though.

"Good. The amount was about right, so your main ability can be scaled properly. It will be up to you to decide on how much magic to apply in combat."

That sounded nice. So she could really be useful and help out.

"Mhm", Tomoe added with a glance at the damaged barrel before looking back at Nagisa, who had tilted her head. "Unfortunately though, it might be very easy to accidentally hit your own people with a weapon like this one. You have to be careful about this, Momoe-chan."

The girl quickly nodded in understanding; she played with soap bubbles often enough to know how easily the wind could blow them off their course. It would be bad if she was distracted and hit one of the older girls because of it. She did not want that, not at all.

"Nagisa promises to be careful!"

Tomoe smiled at the younger girl reassuringly before lowering her gaze a bit. "Although I think we should have Kyoko decide on whether Momoe-chan is to use her offensive abilities. She is the one closest to the enemy after all."

She tilted her head slightly, wondering what might be meant with that; why would everyone else be further away than one of their friends? Should they not be with each other? This was actually something she decided to ask about. "Um... why is it that she is in front of everyone else?"

"Because there's just no one else fighting in close combat", another voice chimed in and had Tomoe's head snap to the side. Nagisa looked as well and found the red-haired girl that went away earlier, now returning with her lips pressed into a firm line. Was she angry about something?

She actually wanted to find out, but it might be rude to ask an older girl something like that... especially when she now knew that there was something with her little sister. The other Magical Girls exchanged glances among each other before the redhead came over to her; Nagisa ducked involuntarily under her hard gaze... and then she held out a pack of Pocky to her. "Heh, sorry for running off earlier; had some things to think about. The name's Sakura Kyoko."

The introduction came a bit unexpected, but Nagisa was nonetheless happy about it; all of them were fine with her joining in after all. With a bright smile, the girl took one of the offered sticks and bowed in return. "I am Momoe Nagisa. Please take good care of me, Sakura-san."

The older girl shrugged with a smirk forming on her face. "Fine with me for as long as you stay out of my way."

Then she turned to the blonde observing them with a weird expression. "So, what's it she got besides healing?"

Tomoe blinked a few times before opening her mouth and responding; she seemed to be confused for some reason. "Um... well, Momoe-chan has a regulatable stream of bubbles whose effects vary from the amount of magic she uses on them. It reaches from small cuts to... apparently... exploding violently upon impact."

The pretty girl motioned for the barrel Akemi was currently examining. "This, for example, happened just before. From what Candel told me before, it was not even half the amount of bubbles she can actually use at once."

It was actually interesting to see how different her new friends were. There was Tomoe, who was a warm and friendly beauty; then there was Akemi, who was beautiful in a colder, more refined way... and Sakura was also pretty, but more of the tough and strong kind. She looked like someone her mother might tell her to stay away from, but she was a nice person for sure. Nagisa never understood why clothes would change anything about a person; she was always herself no matter what she wore after all.

An impressed whistle made her snap out of the stray thought and look up at the redhead again, who was eyeing the barrel now. "Nice."

Sakura smirked and cast a sideway glance back at her. "We'll see how good you're actually are. Mind going all-out for a change?"

Now it was for Nagisa to tilt her head in confusion. She actually thought this approach a bit better, especially after having to endure such a loud explosion just the day before. "B-But if I make any more at once, it will blow up..."

"Just like the place towards the west end of Mitakihara now has a crater", Yuri added upon reappearing right next to them. The older girl held her face as expressionless as Akemi did, with the latter rejoining them at this point. "However, I happen to know about a Familiar passing by not far away."

The others exchanged glances and Nagisa found herself confused. What was a Familiar?

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Say, Sayaka-chan..."

"Mhm?"

The blunette cast a glance over to where her childhood friend sat. Madoka was obviously concerned and Sayaka wanted to kick herself for making the gentle girl worry so much. She had not spoken about her dream with the pinkette, prefering to keep this a secret for now. Maybe it really was just a dream and she worried over nothing, which would be better than the alternative.

The two of them were currently occupying the smaller girl's bedroom; the original idea had been for them to do their homework together, but Sayaka demanded a little break a while ago. This was why she was currently lying on the floor and reading a manga she brought around for just that purpose.

Madoka continued to give her this look, which made the blunette put down the volume she held. She flopped onto her back and sat up. "What's with the look? Is there something in my face?"

They both knew this not to be the case, but the other girl slowly lowered her head. "N-No... it's just... you are alright, yes?"

So she had been seen through. Sayaka suppressed a sigh and wondered what to say; she was obviously not alright. Lying about it was futile. Understanding this, the blunette put on a reassuring smile and scratched the back of her head. "Will be tomorrow, I guess. I just had a weird dream is all, so maybe I didn't get enough sleep."

She definitely felt tired; however, her desire to get her homework done was stronger. This was a weird sensation still, but at least it was useful; Sayaka's grades would probably improve far enough to get her out of the danger zone.

"If you say so..."

The other girl did not sound convinced, but her worries were probably lessened. Now she really just needed to get a good night's rest and be back to usual the next day, then everything should be fine. Sayaka showed a thumbs up and closed the manga, hopefully remembering which page she had been on. "Alright then, let's get the rest done and have dinner."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

In another part of town, another middle-schooler was currently on her way home. Her additional classes were finally over and she could spend the remainder of the day doing her homework and finishing the book her father gave her.

Truth be told, Hitomi did not have much time for herself, but she could manage. She was well aware of how high her parents' expectations were, so she gave it her all to live up to them. Today however, she was continuously worrying over Sayaka. Something was definitely not right about her; the lime-haired girl did not believe the excuse of her trying to get her school life into order anymore, not since this morning. Something else happened, something which Sayaka told neither her nor Madoka.

 _Oh, if you would just be honest with us, Sayaka-san..._

They were friends for a long time now, so why could the other girl not just tell them? Even if she did not want to upset the gentle pinkette, she could have told Hitomi for sure. What did her not doing so say about their relationship as of late?

The middle-schooler sighed and came to a halt at an intersection, waiting for the light to turn green. There was nothing she could actually do at this point, was there? She had no clue besides Akemi's... no, Homura's words, which was very little to begin with.

The light turned and a small crowd of people got moving from her side, passing by those walking in the opposite direction. She was just one of a dozen people right now, knowing no one of those around her and known to none of them, either. What was more concerning, though, was the fact that even talking to one of her closer friends felt a bit like this at times, now. Madoka had been more distant lately as well; as if something bothered her, but she did not want to bring it up for some reason.

 _'Is there something on your mind, Shizuki Hitomi?'_

When this high-pitched voice spoke up _right in her head_ , the middle-schooler stopped dead in her tracks, which quickly resulted in someone running into her from behind. Her manners taking over, she quickly bowed and apologized before continuing to walk onwards; this had to be her mind playing tricks on her now. There was no such thing as strange voices talking to you while no one else heard them.

 _'In fact, your mental condition is perfectly fine. I would have preferred to talk to you in a less crowded place for a first meeting, but the situation demands unconventional measures.'_

She flinched, but continued to walk without reacting to this. It was just her imagination giving in to the stress, nothing else. Maybe she really had to see a psychiatrist soon... or maybe ask her parents to cut back on the additional classes she had to attend.

 _'Please understand that I wouldn't approach you under normal circumstances, but this requires your attention. Miki Sayaka's life might depend on it.'_

It became more weird, but Hitomi would not let herself give in to delusions; she just had to endure it and it would surely go away... she hoped so, at least. Taking another turn, the girl noticed that there were less people on this street. No strange voices bothered her for a few minutes as she maneuvered over a few more intersections with her bag swinging lightly by her side.

Sadly though, it returned: _'I see. Would you like to have proof of me not being a figment of your imagination?'_

This brought her to ponder for a moment. Hitomi could not really think properly with this voice constantly chiming into her mind... knowing it to not belong to her and asking it to be silent would be nice. On the other hand... if it did not belong to her and was indeed real, what implications would that hold?

 _'Your observation is correct. To you as a person, my existence as a separate entity would be preferable. On a wider scale however, a telepathic being would be troublesome for a lot of people if it existed outside of your head. Do not worry, though; I don't interact with people who hold no potential. That said, you have enough potential to form a contract with me if you like, but I digress.'_

This became concerning at an alarming rate; her own thoughts on the matter had not even reached this conclusion in all of its clarity, but the voice was right. A spark of curiousity brought her to wonder what it meant when speaking about potential and contracts, but the latter word had her discard the idea at once. Whatever a contract was needed for, she would not take it. It took another minute or so before the voice returned this time:

 _'Do you see the woman walking to your left?'_

Green eyes moved accordingly and found a young office-worker in a proper suit, her gaze directed forward. Hitomi looking at the woman was noted and she was given a friendly smile, which the lime-haired girl returned after a moment of fighting a small blush due to being caught. The older one looked healthy and enthusiastic to her.

 _'This woman is actually on her way home from working overtime and on the brink of collapsing from exhaustion. My analysis of her vitals suggests that she will faint in little more than a minute.'_

Now this had the middle-schooler fill with both worry and doubt; this woman did not look exhausted at all, but if it was true and she would soon collapse...

As if on cue, the worker put a hand on her forehead and frowned before shaking her head and walking on, no longer paying attention to Hitomi. A moment later, her body went limp and started falling. The middle-schooler quickly caught her before she could reach the ground, thus startling the people around her; however, the weight had the girl wince and go down to her knees in seconds. "Miss? What happened? Are you alright?"

Her questions remained unanswered, although a few more people started to watch the scene. Some other started asking about the same thing she just did, albeit not in her direction. Over it all, the voice continued to explain in the same calm tone: _'As I understand it, she pushed herself beyond any safe limit to get a project done before the deadline, which would have been today.'_

Hitomi ignored it and quickly skimmed the small crowd, the unconcious woman still in her arms. Then she pointed at a boy in a highschool-uniform standing rather near. "You there, please call an ambulance."

She learned that people would not react if she just screamed for someone to do it; if she adressed someone directly though, they were far more likely to follow her instruction. The boy flinched over suddenly being spoken to, but quickly drew his cellphone with a nod. "Ah, right away."

The lime-haired girl gently lowered the limp body to the ground and administered what little she learned about first aid so far; having Madoka with her right now would have been wonderful, but the gentle pinkette was probably at home. Sayaka and her wanted to do their homework together.

"W-Wait, you're not doing it right", a middle-aged man from the crowd called out and came over to her, correcting the last few steps she made, although not by much. Still, it was a relief to have someone more capable helping out. Hitomi smiled thankfully and bowed her head. "Thank you very much, sir."

He just waved it off while sirens could already be heard in the distance. "Don't mention it, young lady. You're a brave one, that's rare these days."

She turned a light shade of pink over the compliment and gently shook her head with another smile. "I am just trying my best to help."

Modesty was always preferable in a situation like this, but it was also how she really felt. Shizuki Hitomi would not just sit by when someone was hurting... and maybe her worry about a certain blunette played into this as well, but this was probably not the case.

 **. . .**

Right next to the unsuspecting girl, a pair of red eyes was lying on the unconcious woman. With no human being able to see it, the Incubator could freely manipulate around without anyone realising it to be responsible. Sneaking a satiated Grief Seed into this person's pocket had been rather easy to finish the job her work and dedication to the task at hand began; she would have managed to get home just fine and rest otherwise, but this was more important. Even if someone were to notice its involvement, the woman would not suffer any serious consequences from the treatment. Being exposed to a Witch's aura for little more than a minute was not particularly dangerous, just draining for them.

Carefully, Kyubey levitated the invisible Grief Seed back into its paws and had it transferred to another body, so that it could be placed at another point in town. Maybe something would come from doing so; aside from that, it wanted to find out exactly how long it would take Akemi Yuri's group to find this particular specimen. It might become important later on.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

They did not have to wait more than another two minutes before the ambulance arrived. Neither her nor the friendly man who helped out spoke, but neither did they stray from the defenseless woman's side. Hitomi carefully took the adult's handbag and placed it right next to her, though.

Once they brought the woman into the car and had her tell them what happened, one of the men bowed at her and offered a grateful smile. "That was excellent of you then, young miss. Have a good day."

She bowed in return and the personnel quickly returned to the vehicle, which made a turn and drove off. The crowd had dispersed by now, although a few people were looking after the ambulance still.

"Oh well, I guess that went alright."

The man had risen to his feet and was holding a hand out to her, which Hitomi took with a smile. "I agree. Thank you for your help, sir", the well-mannered girl said once more. She really was grateful for someone helping her out there. He just waved it off. "Nah, it's always difficult to be the first one to respond, so I thought I should help out. By the way, what's your name, young miss?"

This was a bit odd, but she figured that someone who helped could be trusted enough to tell him her name. Not that it was a secret to begin with. "Ah, I am Shizuki Hitomi. Nice to meet you."

Strangely, he took that with a surprised gasp and quickly bowed more deeply. "Oooh... I'm sorry for talking to you so casually, then."

This... was also not normal; and now it was them drawing attention from the crowd, although it had become thinner over the last few minutes. Hitomi tilted her head the slightest bit to communicate her confusion; he looked genuinely worried over something. "I am afraid I do not understand the matter."

The man stopped his squirming and blinked at her a few times before shaking his head. "Ah, oh right... sorry again. You see, I'm working at your parents' company, Shizuki-san... so I was a bit surprised to stumble over their daughter like this."

Now it was for the middle-schooler to be surprised; this man she was talking to was not wearing a suit, which she knew all worker's of Shizuki Enterprises to wear at work. That had her distrust flare up for a moment, only for the voice to remind her of its existence: _'He took a day off after several weeks of constantly working overtime; all the data he gave you so far is true.'_

Actually... thinking about it like this, having someone capable of judging the people she spoke to was quite helpful; Hitomi did not need to spend time on figuring out whether someone was trustworthy and could concentrate on other things. Still, she should react to what he just said and giggled politely. "I see. Although I do understand this, please do not mind me in that case, um..."

"The name's Akiyama Toru, Shizuki-san."

She nodded gently and exchanged another polite smile with the middle-aged man, who appeared to be a genuinely nice person to her. "I see, Akiyama-san. However, I do have to get going now; my parents expect me back before sunset and I have a few errands to run."

"Of course. It was nice getting to meet you, Shizuki-san."

They bowed at each other once more and got going, with him taking the next turn and her walking on right ahead. The air was still quite chilly and a cool breeze found its way into her collar, which made the lime-haired girl shiver for a moment. At least the sky was without a single cloud and the sun's rays warmed her back as she walked. Hitomi had not that much time at hand and she really needed to get to a conclusion regarding Sayaka after all; now that the small crisis from before was averted, her mind quickly got back to that.

 _'Before we return to this topic, I want to express my respect for your calm and proper handling of the situation as well. Most girls your age would not have been able to do so.'_

The middle-schooler sighed inwardly over this. Yes, she might be a bit different from most other girls, but this was mostly because her parents taught her to stay calm and be patient from a very young age; they were very strict, but never unfair with her.

 _'I see. It is generally a good sign if your parents are willing to listen to you instead of assuming a position of superiority due to you being their child. I digress, though.'_

The girl decided to ignore this statement, although she had an idea of what the voice meant with it. Waiting for whatever was to happen next, she gently stopped to allow an elder to pass the intersection first, which earned her a grateful nod and smile. When Hitomi went on, it finally spoke again: _'Back to the topic at hand, I do know what happened to Miki Sayaka. Now that you could verify my existence as an entity not bound to your imagination, would you be willing to find out whether my words regarding her are true as well?'_

So it still insisted on that; however, now she really did know the voice for being real. Going from that... no one did something for free, so what was the price she would have to pay for being told?

 _'Um... on a sidenote, could you please adress me directly? I have to actively scan your mind to answer your questions otherwise. It is quite easy, just direct a thought in the direction you hear my voice from.'_

This was both useful and a bit unpleasant to know, so Hitomi quickly tried to do as she was asked. Finding this 'direction' was not as easy, though. It was nice gesture to plainspokenly tell her something like this, though. _"I... I see. Is this alright?"_

 _'Very well, Shizuki Hitomi. You are picking up this kind of communication rather quickly, I have to admit. Most girls need at least a few hours to adjust; the most common problem is you accidentally saying something out loud."_

The lime-haired girl nodded faintly and kept her eyes leveled on the street and those few people walking still by her side. It was probably rather difficult to switch from the only means of communicating verbally one ever had -saying something- to just thinking it without a few actual words slipping out. However, she was confident in her ability to quickly adapt to new circumstances; it helped her saving face in unexpected situations rather well so far. _"Thank you for the warning. I can imagine that adjusting to this kind of communication is not easy. It is quite fascinating, though."_

There was no one in sight she might believe to be a mind-reader, especially because none of the people around her had been there when the voice spoke up first... so whoever it belonged to was either somewhere else entirely and monitored her remotely or remained out of sight somehow. Her mind already started producing strange theories on how they might do it, with being able to see through another's eyes being among the more plausible ones. This alone was already concerning, seeing that she usually would not drift this far into the supernatural so easily... but facts were facts; this person had access to telepathy, so something like this could be possible as well.

 _'Naturally, suddenly having to express yourself on a wavelength like this, which is regularly not intended for communication, leads to trouble on the first few attempts. It is good to see you getting the hang of it so quickly.'_

The compliment had her feel a bit warmer on the inside; it was quite similar to being praised on solving a problem in class, which Hitomi had started to enjoy long ago. However, the word 'see' held quite some trouble for her, seeing that it related right back to her previous thought. It should be safe to ask about, though; there was no reason for them not answer. _"Thank you very much... um... would you mind telling me something?"_

The response was instantaneous, although their tone did not change at all; going by its pitch, she was probably talking to a girl or young boy... though the latter would be a bit more creepy than the former. _'Of course not; ask right away.'_

 _"Okay... you see, I was wondering where you might be and whether we will be able to meet in person."_

As it washed cold through her mind right after the question was complete, she _could_ be talking to a ghost right now. A spirit, a demon or maybe even a god... so what if those shows depicting those entities walking among humankind were not just some author's imagination? What if they were actually real, the writer's attempt to speak of their experiences without being seen as mentally ill?

 _'Oh, I was actually waiting for a certain turn that is coming up already; you see, your eyes can not perceive me right now. I will make myself visible to you once we changed directions. There is something I wanted to show you today, but it won't take long; maybe half an hour. I do recall that your schedule is rather packed, but I hope for this to be fine after all.'_

This was rather considerate, considering that she did have precious little free time. Nonetheless, Hitomi was rather curious by now; her mind already excused the decision to spend some of her time on this entity by shutting down the part that was usually judging reality around her. So now that she had come to terms with someone speaking to her via telepathy, the lime-haired girl was ready to get to the bottom of this; whatever it may be.

 **. . .**

"Y'know, Yuri... 'not far away' usually means something like 'walk a minute and you're there'... not 'run after the damn thing for ten minutes straight!'

Kyoko might be overreacting a little bit, but Mami could understand her feelings. After they explained what a Familiar was to Momoe and started moving, the creature suddenly started a mad dash; on top of that, it moved into the exact opposite direction.

"You know, Kyoko... what would you do if you found two Witches and no less than four Magical Girls making a beeline for you? That's a smart Familiar, I have to give it that."

This was also true, although it made the blonde a bit sick to know that their desire to kill people was definitely an informed choice. They knew which malice they brought on others... right?  
 _But Candel would probably have no idea..._

Her own sister was such a friendly being that most might see her behaviour as obsessive instead; everything was spinning in the Magical Girl's head once more, as it had so often in these last few weeks. Human ethics could not be applied to Witches, seeing that they were not human; nothing made sense if she tried to do so anyway.

Now however, they finally stood in the Familiars barrier; it was one of the balls of cotton with black eyes and mouth -and mustache- that the Rose Garden Witch created. They killed that one more than a week ago near the mall... so did they really miss her Familiar for this long, especially with Yuri patrolling the city by herself?

In other words however, this meant that this one was probably but one human away from turning into a full Witch. It made Mami shiver while the raven-haired Witch gently pushed Momoe to the front; they were surrounded by a garden with small, tiled walkways between patches. However, none of the girls had dared to step on the soil or those strangely morphed beds of roses on Yuri's order. The Familiar shivered and eyed them with understanding eyes; it did not attack or try to flee, a pair of clippers held loosely in one of those matchstick-like arms.

"Um... guys, why isn't it attacking us?"

"The Anthony is not sure what to do", Candel answered Kyoko's question while Momoe continued to take in the creature's weird appearance. "It knows we followed... but we have not attacked and I think it realises that we avoided its precious flowers."

"Exactly", the other Witch took over from this point. "The Rose Garden Witch Gertrud as well as all of her Familiars live and die for those roses; it will not run out of fear of losing them, but it will not fight out of fear because of our numbers. Had any of you stepped on the flowers, it would have snapped and attacked right away... probably."

So that was why they were standing in a row of two people per line. Once again, Mami was not sure what to think of this; just why were those beings becoming more understandable to her as time went on? Killing them became less easy, seeing that some Witches were not even really aggressive. The fact that they were exclusively the remains of fellow Magical Girls did not help her cause at all.

"It looks so strange... and fluffy, too."

Momoe was still doing little more than looking, although she already held her trumpet; Yuri cast a glance back at the group and rolled her eyes before putting a hand on the child's head. All the while, Mami entertained the gruesome thought of what kind of Witch might emerge from this little sweetheart... it made her chest hurt heavily to know this to be how all of them would end. The doll sitting on her shoulder was how she would end up as, after all.

"As a rule of thumb, Nagisa: the cuter it looks like, the more dangerous it is. Reminds me of a certain doll with a large caterpillar inside."

This had the new Magical Girl's head snap up while the blonde saw Kyoko turn her gaze around to meet hers, silently asking. Now that the Witch mentioned it, Mami did remember this one; what kind of girl could probably become a creature such as this? It had been a really strong opponent, taking on two veteran Magical Girls and a newly contracted one. Most others had appeared around the same time as in the previous timeline... so around today...

"But you probably won't ever meet her; the others took care of the Sweets Witch quite a while ago and I made sure she won't be back anytime soon."

With how Candel's ribbons tightened a bit around her shoulder, a suspicion formed within the depths of Mami's mind; could this girl...?

"I... I see. Um..." "Enough of that for now. Give it your all now."

The hand was retreated from Momoe's head and the elementary schooler cast a glance backwards herself, taking in the other Magical Girls. While they spoke, the Familiar had still not come to a decision on what to do; Mami smiled encouragingly and nodded while Homura kept her expression blank. Kyoko rolled her eyes, the blonde noticed, before giving the child a thumbs up.

So Momoe Nagisa turned around and raised the trumpet to her lips...

 **. . .**

She went through a few alleyway's just as she was told to; it was quite a surprise when Kyubey revealed himself to be a feline with completely white fur and red eyes, but Hitomi decided for this to be far from the most exotic thing she learned today.

Now however, she was hiding behind a big pipe protruding from the wall to her right, carefully watching the empty place on its other side. Nothing had happened for the last minute or so and she was slowly growing anxious as well as annoyed. What was she supposed to see here?

And then, suddenly, there were people; five girls of roughly her age, all in tatters and with their hair in disorder. They appeared out of nowhere and sunk to the floor almost as one; an athletic-looking redhead, a blonde, two raven-haired girls and a child with white hair... wait, two raven-haired girls?

Hitomi's eyes widened when she saw one of those obvious twins glow in purple light and replace a somewhat strange attire; this was, without any trace of doubt, Akemi Homura. So the other one was... who?

A consensus of groaning had followed the group's arrival, but this died down rather quickly. No one seemed to have more than a few bruises and all but Akemi's unknown twin followed the raven-haired girl's example. Once they were back in proper attires, the redhead spoke up. "I don't know what you think... but that was awesome."

Following that, she ruffled the child's hair. "Okay, I'm bought. Good to have you, Nagisa."

Akemi produced something out of the buckler on her arm while her twin's eyes kept darting around for some reason.

 _'Akemi Yuri has the best senses of the group. She probably noticed you briefly even after I put up this field we are in. It really is a far too high investment of resources to be used on more than rare ocassions like these.'_

 _"Um... Kyubey-san? What exactly is going on here?"_

This had become strange very quickly and Hitomi would really like to get an answer to her questions. When the feline decided to answer, though... maybe she should have just walked away instead of asking.

 _'Those are Magical Girls.'_


	57. Gears of Fate III

Everything was progressing smoothly for the time being. The regular approach would not have worked on a steadfast girl like Shizuki Hitomi, but this advanced course of action worked out just fine. Kyubey did have to reveal a few more of its abilities than it might like, but this was an acceptable drawback for creating opposition to Akemi Yuri's uncontested hold of Mitakihara. Unfortunately, the only promising candidates besides this girl were Momoe Nagisa and Kaname Madoka; the former had been a lost cause from the beginning and the latter already declined the offer, though. Especially Madoka had clued him in to a small bit of additional knowledge, especially because she asked a few rather pointed questions; the origin of Witches, how curses worked and so on. This had to mean for Mami to be aware as well; now one had to consider that Mami's behaviour changed over night, without any chance for her to handle the revelation. Psychological data gathered over the previous months indicated that this particular Magical Girl would easily break down over learning the truth and had a high probability of committing suicide.

This left Kyubey with the understanding that whatever change was done to her mind, it must have been instantaneous or at least very fast. Memory alteration was a favourable explanation... or would be, were it not for the existence of Candeloro. However, Mami's vastly different mindset and the premature birth of her Witch must not necessarily have the same reason.

Nonetheless, the Incubator continued to evaluate possible reasons while explaining the Magical Girl-system to his newest charge; Shizuki Hitomi would definitely be a piece of work, but witnessing the events around the group holding Mitakihara should be proof enough.

 **. . .**

 _'And this is about it. Of course I will not expect you to decide right away; please take your time and think about it.'_

Her mind was somewhat dull and Hitomi could only nod. Now that Kyubey explained to her what these Witches and Familiars she heard the other girls talking about were, it became clearer and -more concerningly- made sense. But how could that be? How could there be something like this hiding in the shadows? Something like this happened in anime, not in real life!

But there were Magical Girls to fight these creatures, so it should be fine... right?

"I see... thank you", she finally managed to say. She already went back home as fast as she could after running her errands; currently, Kyubey was sitting on the middle-schooler's nightstand while the girl herself layed down on her bed and kept staring at the ceiling. "But... you mentioned that there is something wrong with the situation in Mitakihara? A-And... does that have to do with what happened to Sayaka-san?"  
Her parents were both working, so she was alone at home; no one could hear her talking to the feline only she and Magical Girls could perceive. Still, Hitomi felt a bit weird... and anxious, knowing very well that this was her only source of information. If he decided to withhold information from her, she would never know.

 _'Quite frankly, this is unprecedented in many ways. For one, there are two irregular Witches around; you saw them earlier, the doll slung on Tomoe Mami's shoulder and Akemi Homura's twin. Both of them are without doubt Witches, although neither displayed any of the common traits of their kin.'_

The girl inhaled sharply over the news. At first she just thought that the one girl not using magic might just be tagging along... and the doll, albeit looking creepy, could easily have been another mascot. The thought of them being Witches did not even cross Hitomi's mind before she was told. "B-But... um... if Magical Girls fight Witches and those two are just that... then why have they not done anything about them yet?"

The ceiling was still as white as it was before, but she did not really care about that. Now worry started to fill into those parts of her mind not occupied with processing all the information; was this something like a conspiracy?

 _'That is something I would like to find out as well. So far, my only guess is that the one who calls herself Akemi Yuri is having some kind of influence over the others, just as she used her powers to plant a Witch's Kiss on Miki Sayaka. This is also the answer to your other question: your friend is currently subject to this being's will and seems to suffer from it. I can not tell you what the purpose of this is, though; most Witches use their kisses to have their subjects commit suicide so they can absorb their souls. A behaviour like this is, once again, unprecedented.'_

Now her head snapped around in surprise and horror, wide green eyes directed at the calm feline. "W-What?! Did I understand it correct that Sayaka-san is mind-controlled?"

Kyubey did not seem to react to her almost-scream at all; he remained seated and had his tail swish back and forth. _'Yes. I talked to Sayaka a few days ago and apparently, the order she was given was to not form a contract and become a Magical Girl. This, however, is the only way to get this mark off of her aside from the respective Witch either taking it off herself or being killed. None of the other Magical Girls will take action and there are currently no other promising candidates in Mitakihara, seeing that Kaname Madoka refused a contract as well. My best guess is that they are influencing even her.'_

It was terrifying to look at; after what she saw, there was no actual reason to doubt Kyubey's words. All those around her were effectively prisoners to this Witch, who had no clear reason or goal; she somehow brought a whole group of Magical Girls on her side and apparently just did however she pleased. If Hitomi showed any sign of knowing what was going on, she would probably be the next on their list.

But was she really the only one who could help?  
"There is no one else in Mitakihara... but what about Kazamino or the other towns nearby? There have to be other Magical Girls there, right?"

The feline slightly tilted his head, but remained where he was. It was no longer unnerving to see him do that; the middle-schooler was trying to make sense of all this and failed terribly, her mind in turmoil. However, the response he gave made her thoughts slow down and become cold: _'There were a dozen girls, either of high potential or already skilled contractees... but Akemi Homura assassinated every last of them two weeks ago, right after arriving in Mitakihara. The only one she left alive was Sakura Kyoko, who occupied Kazamino for the last few months; that was the red-haired girl you saw earlier.'_

The implication was clear: whatever the Witch had done to Mitakihara's Magical Girl, Tomoe, she also did it to Sakura. There really was no one but her...

And for the calm and collected transfer student to be such a cold-blooded killer... although... maybe she was also under mind control? That might explain this part as well.

All of a sudden, Hitomi felt a great weight press on her chest; she had trouble breathing as reality crashed down on her; she was just one girl, one regular person. How could she defeat a manipulative creature this powerful?

"I... I have to think about all of this. Please give me some time."

She needed to find out some more; she had to make absolutely sure Kyubey was right before acting on it. However, that would take a while, a few days at least. If all the Magical Girls had failed, this just showed her not to even attempt brute force; Hitomi had to outsmart the Witch.

 _'Of course; if you need anything, just call my name. For reasons of safety however, I will not appear when any of the Magical Girls or Witches are around. If they find out, you will probably be in immense danger.'_

The girl gulped down and found a small lump in her throat; she was scared of this, the horror of what she was up against slowly creeping down her spine and giving her goosebumps. First... maybe she should try reasearching? The internet might have a few interesting things for her.

So while Hitomi got up and headed over to her computer, Kyubey rose to his feet as well. _'I will be going, then. Until later, Hitomi.'_

The girl's mind was slowly burying her fright under other thoughts; it was the only thing she could do to stop herself from crawling under her blanket and hide out for the day. She had always been proud of her neat and orderly courses of action; now the only thing she could do to stop exactly this process from opening up a can of horrifying scenarios she might live through in case of failure... was working. Hitomi quickly got out her homework and pencil case, but stopped for a moment. The computer would need a minute or two to boot up, so she could go and get herself a snack... and cancel her tea ceremony-class for today; this was more important by a wide margin.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"I guess everyone agrees now?"

Lilly was back to smirking at all of them, which made the younger Witch feel glad. Her relief was even furthered by the fact that Mami seemed to finally have dropped the topic of her rejection; at least for now, her big sister was somewhat back into her usual balance. Kyoko still gave off this confusing vibe, but not as strong as when she went away earlier. The sun had set by now and they walked the young Magical Girl home before returning to Mami's flat. Currently, the whole group was sitting around the table in the living room, the remains of their dinner already resting the in the kitchen sink.

"I do believe that Momoe-chan will be a capable addition to our group... although her age bothers me a bit. Can she really take being a Magical Girl?"

Candel had been thinking about that as well; however, the only response one could give to that question was a shrug. Magical Girls were different from humans, so they had to wait and see. Faintly, the doll recalled memories from before Mami contracted; her counterpart had been very different back then.

"We will see and steady her if she needs it", Lilly replied after a moment. Strangely though, there was a note of uncertainty in her aura; it did not show in her voice, but the Dress-Up Witch knew it was there. Mortal World's Witch had doubts over something, but did not want to speak of it right now.

"Oh, now you're not all knowledgeable? What happened?"

Kyoko bit a large chunk out of a chocolate bar right after asking this question, which prompted the other Magical Girls to turn her way and give off more agitated vibes. Candel on her part wondered whether they could finally tell the redhead what was really going on; she was tired of lying to a friend of hers. Nonetheless, Lilly's next words caught even her by surprise and prompted Mami to gasp quietly: "Frankly, Kyoko, this is the first time she actually survived her contract longer than a few minutes; courtesy of Candel, who made her make a better wish than the one she wanted to go for."

Homura slightly raised an eyebrow, but the redhead just nodded and cast a glance at the doll. It held no malice right now, just curiousity... that was good, she figured; it had been obvious that the spear-wielder was not happy with Nagisa forming a contract to begin with. She could have taken it far worse to learn that Candel did not stop the little girl. "Okay... care explaining what she means?"

As far as the doll was concerned, it was fine to tell secrets to her friends... however, it became a bit more complicated when another friend's secrets were involved. Would Nagisa be alright with that?

 _Probably... she is probably really proud of what she did, after all._

The young Magical Girl was adorable and sweet, so Candel honestly hoped for her to make it. Right now though, she figured that Kyoko -and by extension Mami and Homura- should know what she told Lilly before. Still, the doll could not stop herself from nervously fiddling with her arms' tips.

"Um... you see, Nagisa's mother is... was really sick, but she wanted me to meet her. When we went there, she was already on the verge of death; I could tell and so could Kyubey. He came and told Nagisa and that she could save her mother if she wanted; I don't think that anyone could have stopped her from doing it. I asked her anyway to make sure she was willing to do it... and I got a bad feeling over how she talked to Kyubey before, so I had her tell me what she wanted to wish for first..."

The others were listening with obvious curiousity, Mami's and Kyoko's expressions far more sympathetic than before. They were both orphans after all... and with what Candel knew of both of them, they would have jumped at a chance to save their mothers.

"Okay... what did she want to wish for, Candel?"

Homura did not give away anything with her stony expression and analytical question, but that was normal for her. Lilly had leaned onto her sister's shoulder and appeared to be napping; however, the other Witch was definitely not asleep. Her purple eyes darted around the room and she seemed to keep constant watch over everyone's state of mind. Still, Candel was a bit more uncomfortable with revealing this part; mostly because it was a bit embarassing to even mention.

"She... originally, Nagisa wanted to wish for... eating cake with her mother."

The doll got another round of stares, although the girls were more obviously stupefied by what they had just been told than before. Even Homura's cold mask slipped away for a few moments, revealing the confusion below.

"Seriously?"

That was Kyoko, who had a hand put on her forehead and sighed once Candel confirmed her words. "Oh great..."

While the redhead was busy shaking her head and muttering something under her breath, Mami turned to Lilly with a weird expression; the doll was a bit confused, but kept quiet for now. "Um... Yuri-san? With what you said earlier... does that mean she knows?"

Right, that was also important; she completely forgot about it already. Lilly spoke rather openly, so did that mean she told their red-haired friend?

Kyoko on her part lowered the hand and cast a glance at them, which her sister did not meet. Mami seemed tense all of a sudden, but that was strange; she had no reason to be afraid of Kyoko learning the truth, right? They were friends after all.

 **. . .**

It started to get strange how much the blonde was fidgeting. The other fifteen-year-old was definitely not telling her something.

 _What, did she seduce me before or something?_

Actually the line sounded like something she should just ask her former mentor; it might make for good teasing... although Kyoko could already tell it was not the case, seeing how obviously Mami fell for Yuri. It was interesting that all of them were so tight-lipped about the whole thing; this really appeared like a conspiracy more and more. Not that the redhead minded it much; ruining Kyubey's day sounded like a good thing to do.

"She knows, although not as much as you do. I'm actually more surprised that you actually believed me", the Witch noted with a sideway glance her way; it appeared a bit more strange because her 'sister', whose shoulder she rested on, did the very same thing. Creepy.

Kyoko just shrugged in response and took another bite from her chocolate. "Y'know... I saw that magic-thing you did, I can tell how much Mami here has changed... and you're a god damn Witch after all. Heck, you could probably tell me humans taste like garlic and I'd believe you."

It was meant as a joke and her smirk should tell them so... however, the Magical Girl did not expect Yuri to turn a slight shade of green and shiver violently. The human-shaped Witch quickly hid her face in Homura's hair and groaned. "Gah, don't remind me!"

Mami looked as puzzled as her, so the blonde could not put this into perspective, either. However, the raven-haired girl went to gently stroke her Witch's back while glancing over at them. "Lilly once tested that... it did not end well, she never even told me the details."

So... she meant that Yuri tried eating a human and it tasted awful? For once, Kyoko was not sure whether she should laugh at or pity her. However, the other Magical Girl around understood the situation as well at this point... and going by how her eyes narrowed, she still held this view of never hurting people. The Witch probably got on her good side by promising to never hurt anyone, so... oh; that was not good, then. Bracing herself for what might come, the redhead leaned back and tried to make herself remain unnoticed for now; even Candel started to fidget over there.

"What was that, Yuri-san? I do remember you saying that you never hurt anyone before?"

The blonde's voice had this dangerous tone Kyoko would always recognise; it meant that if nothing happened, someone would get very hurt very soon. However, neither of the raven-haired girls reacted much; Homura shifted her weight slightly and Yuri's face returned from where she hid it before. The Witch made her own expression as stony as her sister's was all the time, which was probably not a good sign.

"Don't tell me you never made mistakes. I'm a curious being and if I hadn't made the test, I would have gone insane over not knowing for sure that I can't eat human souls. Aside from that, I don't think I can guarantee that no one gets hurt forever. I will certainly try to keep humans out of this mess, but it can't be avoided at times."

"Additionally", Homura added once her 'sister' was done, " _you_ probably shouldn't accuse Lilly of killing someone for petty reasons."

Mami flinched over the obvious accusation while Kyoko's eyebrows rose. The blond girl really killed someone? She never thought her capable of doing that. From the way she turned her head away however, the other girl was not at all happy with what she did; figures.

However, Homura blinked a few times before bowing her head slightly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"N-No... you are right, Homura-san. I do understand what you mean, but it is just so difficult..."

"Hey, Mami", Yuri interrupted the stammered response; Kyoko just kept quiet for now and let the scene play out; maybe something interesting came up. The Witch had a more solemn expression now. "I don't know what will happen in the future and I won't judge you for caring; however, I can assure you that I killed in the past and will kill in the future if I see it appropriate. I won't go out of my way to be unnecessarily cruel, but I expect you to not go out of your way to be unnnecessarily kind, either. Those are concessions we have to make in order to work together."

She appeared as if she wanted to say something else, but kept her mouth shut while Mami had paled a bit. Candel gently petted her Magical Girl's head with those arms of hers, but even Kyoko found this a bit harsh; the blonde was a delicate girl after all. It was even a bit difficult on the redhead, seeing that she remembered this delinquent Yuri semi-murdered a few weeks ago. Nothing she would get worked up about, but she was at a point where she could not laugh it off anymore, either. Maybe it was her father's teaching returning to the surface, but... she also remembered those Magical Girls she killed in the past months; the redhead did not even know their names.

"So... you are telling me to look the other way when you decide to murder someone?"

Strangely, Mami did not sound angry; more as if she wanted to know whether she understood the eldritch being correctly... right, Yuri was not human. She said this more than enough before, but Kyoko still had a hard time to grasp the reality of her statement; even with this human body, her values were just that different. Right now, the Witch let go of the other raven-haired girl and sat straight again. "No. But seeing how heavily this weighs on your conscience, you could do both of us a favour if you wouldn't ask. Can we agree on that?"

This might probably be the best solution they could find for now; the redhead sighed inwardly and shoved the heavy thoughts aside, though. She was at a point where she had no need to care anymore and after everything she learned, she was not really human anymore, either. Mami appeared rather reluctant, but she probably thought something very similar; with a slight nod, the girl accepted the suggestion. "Alright."

However, she was obviously not really happy with that.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Oh, good evening, Kyubey."

Nagisa had been brushing her hair when the speaking cat appeared, but she did not mind his presence. He was a bit weird, but nice overall.

 _'Good evening. Are you doing well?'_

"Mhm. Everyone is nice to me and they are all very pretty."

She stopped for a brief moment to pet Kyubey, who had now jumped onto the girl's dressing table and sat by her side. He let her and kept eyeing the black ring on her middle finger. _'Actually, I meant your Soul Gem; you see, it darkens over time and when you use magic. From how I understood it, the other Magical Girls had you exercise quite a bit.'_

"Oh, that's fine", the grade-schooler remarked happily while turning the trinket into its gem-form. Completely white crystal gleamed at once and added to the already brightly lit room. "Tomoe-san gave Nagisa a Grief Seed and showed me how to clean my Soul Gem."

 _'I see.'_

Her curly, white hair was long and needed a lot of time to be done properly, but tending to it was fun. Nagisa started to hum a little tune while finishing and putting away her brush. Then she scooped Kyubey up into her arms and went for her bed; today, the cat would not get away from sleeping with her.

 **. . .**

 _'How are you doing, Hitomi?'_

The lime-haired girl flinched over hearing the voice again, but relaxed fairly quickly this time. She already accepted his existence to be real, so there was no need to fear for her sanity. On the other hand, the events she witnessed just a few hours ago _were_ madness...

Still, she tried her best to take it in stride after the initial freakout. For now, she had to learn more about the situation and find out just how deep her friends were already drawn into this.

"I... I am doing fine, considering the circumstances."

She had to lower her voice, just in case one of her parents passed by her room; they might probably think her to be on the phone anyway, but she did not want to take risks here. Hitomi leaned back from her schoolbooks and turned around, where she found the feline sitting on her bed. Piercing red eyes met tired green and the girl decided then and there to have studied enough for the day. Half of her homework was probably wrong because she had been thinking about what Kyubey told her, but that could be excused if it did not happen again.

Right now, the middle-schooler needed time more than anything else; she did not have many opportunities to learn more about this secret world of magic with all her additional classes.

 _'That is good to hear. Girls like you rarely take it well if I approach them, so I usually don't do it; unfortunately, I had to make an exception this time around.'_

His reasoning was understandable; Kyubey emphasized how extraordinary a human-shaped Witch was more than enough for her to get the idea. Now Hitomi could complain about how it had to be her of all people, but this was not the mindset she was raised to use; no, she would get to the root of this and solve the problem instead of groaning over it. Once that was done, everyone could return to their regular lifes and be happy again. Unfortunately, this was far easier said than done.

"I can guess the reason. If it was not for what happened to Sayaka-san and Madoka-san, I would have probably sent you away at once."

She did not, though. Kyubey was her only ally in this, so the girl would probably... no, definitely need his help.

With a sigh, Hitomi turned back to her desk and closed the book. "However, I would like to get changed. Would you please leave me alone for a moment?"

 _'I don't get why so many girls are against my presence while changing; my race has no gender after all... if this is what you want, though.'_

And he quickly scurried over to the slightly opened window before jumping out of sight. Was that before just musing on his part? Or... when this species really had no gender, should she refer to him as an 'it'?

Shaking her head in confusion, the middle-schooler walked over to her wardrobe and decided to think about this later.

 **. . .**

 _'How do you feel, Sayaka?'_

The blunette almost jumped out of her chair when Kyubey spoke. She did not even realise the little cat-like thing was around; paired with her general jumpiness, this made for a bad combination.

"Whoa, don't scare me like that!"

Sayaka pressed a hand on her chest to calm her heavily pounding heart and took a deep breath, then looked around to find red eyes staring back at her from the nightstand. Actually, Kyubey could look really creepy when he did that kind of thing, especially when standing with his body obscured by the shadows.

 _'I'm sorry, I didn't want to scare you.'_

He slightly bowed his head and the middle-schooler waved it off with a sigh. "It's fine."

Still, where was this fright coming from and why was it directed at everything except Akemi? It just made no sense to her. Or were this Witch's feelings sweeping over to her? No, that was absurd as well; a being such as this one would definitely not be afraid of almost everything.

The blunette knew about how Witches were born; Tomoe told them after all. She also knew that becoming a Magical Girl was out of the question for her, mostly because of this mark left on her; Sayaka might have thought about forming the contract otherwise. Kyosuke was still in the hospital, so of course she pondered. If there actually was a way to treat his injured hand, this might be a result worth paying such a high price for.

On the other hand, the prospect of having to fight monsters like the one she saw that other day made her heart jump in fear. Sighing, the girl put down her pen and massaged her temples; almost done with the homework for this week, so she could take the next few days to relax a bit.

"Anyways... how do you think I feel? Nothing's different from last time you asked."

She was still marked, so what exactly should have changed?

 _'I see. I thought maybe something changed from two days ago; your behaviour is fairly odd today, especially in comparison to how you behave usually.'_

He had a point there, but this was really just a bad reaction to a strange dream, nothing more. Being reminded of that did not make her feel any better, though. The middle-schooler slumped onto her desk with a groan. "Please don't bring that up... I just didn't sleep well, there's nothing weird about it."

 _'...are you sure about that? I am certain that panic attacks and paranoia on the scale you displayed today are far outside of any normal reaction to a nightmare. It might be a bit early to blame this on the Witch's Kiss, but this appears to be the most likely explanation; even if it did not have anything to do with the dream itself, it might have amplified your reaction to it.'_

"Whatever..."

Her head rose slowly, eyes focussed on the work before her. It was tempting to just leave it at that today and go to sleep, especially with the small headache her lack of sleep brought her throbbing in the back of her head. Sighing, the blunette pushed the notebooks she would need the next day into her bag and stretched; for how long had she been sitting there anyway?

"I'll just go to sleep now and be back to normal tomorrow. Just wait and see."

 **. . .**

 _'May I come in?'_

"Huh? Oh... um... okay."

Madoka carefully rolled aside on her chair when Kyubey entered her room right through the closed window; the glass did not stop him at all. The feline looked around for a moment before leaping onto her bed and taking a seat there; the pinkette on her part decided to throw him a friendly smile and get to her feet. "What brings you here today?"

He swished his tail a few times before answering while Madoka sat down next to him; Kyubey was kind enough to tell her about a lot of things she wanted to know, so if he wanted something, she could at least be nice. Even when he wanted to turn her into a Magical Girl, that would not happen for as long as she said no.

 _'I was just curious if you had any idea on what happened to your friend Miki Sayaka today; she did not look good when I checked on you in school.'_

So that was what he wanted to talk about; being reminded of the blunette's strange behaviour though, Madoka felt worry return to hold its cold grasp on her heart. She had no idea what was going on with her friend, so she could only shake her head with a sad gaze at her own hands. "No, not really. She wouldn't tell me."

 _'I see.'_ , he replied after pondering her words for a moment. _'I do believe that it is because of Akemi Yuri's Witch Kiss, but I couldn't gather enough proof for a final conclusion yet. Do you mind helping me out and watch for anything that might help?'_

This shook the teenager out of her mood and made her nod very quickly. "O-Of course."

 **. . .**

All these girls were reacting well to its approach, Kyubey concluded. With how the current events were playing out, this might be the solution to its problem after all.

However, the Incubator was not yet certain of having solved this conundrum; it remained alert and kept as many bodies as was reasonable in and around Mitakihara. Failing in this would be disastrous.


	58. Gears of Fate IV

Unfortunately for Sayaka, the dream returned. Night after night, she found herself waking up in this uncanny park; nothing changed between her visits to the quiet city. The fear was also present and seemed to become even stronger as time went on.

However, the blunette quickly adapted to whatever it was and pushed the feeling of dread further down into her mind; she did not even know something like this was actually possible before, but it worked rather easily. Her friends calmed down when she returned to school as her usual self, too; strangely though, Hitomi kept throwing worried glances in both her _and_ Madoka's direction. Sayaka thought about what reason the other girl might have, but could not find any.

Nonetheless, her visits to the quiet city continued undisturbed; their duration increased with every day as well, although she always woke up before her usual time. This was confusing and maybe dangerous, but she already decided not to give in to her fright and fight it head-on; to do this, she had to take this conundrum by herself. She had to find out what it meant and _win_ , then everything would go back to normal. If the tomboy got stuck at one point or another, she already decided to ask Kyubey for advice; he might be dangerous as well, but he seemed to be honestly concerned about her condition at least. Aside from that, this was the least she could do to defy Yuri; the Witch was definitely responsible for this, so she deserved some retaliation. Speaking of which, she was now rather sure this was not a labyrinth; it had to be something different, seeing that there was absolutely _nothing_ aside from the blunette and the quiet buildings. It just casually threw her out every time she got too frightened to carry on.

 _Okay... Let's see; the same as usual, nothing changed... no one around? Check._

Fear started to crawl up her spine and tried to prompt the blunette to cast another glance over her shoulder, but she resisted the urge and pressed it back down. It was more difficult in here, but she was still alright.

With the slight slapping of naked flesh on stone, Sayaka got moving down the road she felt she should be walking along; it was the most direct way towards the large tower in this city's center. It actually took her until Thursday night to realise she was going stark naked and one more night to get over her embarassment; there was no one here to see her anyway. There was no wind and it was warm enough for her not to feel uncomfortable. Still, it was far more difficult to push down the urge of just hiding out until the dream ended and she was back in her pyjamas in comparison to the fear. At this point, Sayaka did not even think about it conciously; she was naked, so what? All the buildings were still dead and dark and deserted, just as the rest of this godforsaken city.

She kept wandering for a while, taking the path she took five times already; at a large bridge leading over a ship canal, it would be four times. From there she went to pass through another set of parks and by a few small shops further down the road; all the time, Sayaka did not lose track of her goal: the tower. This would start to make sense once she reached its top.

 _Wait... why is this sign activated?_

The monotony of white, grey, black and the faintest remainders of all other colours was broken by a brightly gleaming sign, indicating to the shop whose forefront it was attached to; it read 'Kind and Calm', although the writing looked somewhat weird. She could not find out what it was, though.

After a few moments of futile attempts on unravelling what bothered her, Sayaka went over to the next question; should she take a closer look?

Nothing ever changed in this city and she walked down this road three times already; there had never been such a sign before. This being the very first change Sayaka saw in here must mean something significant; however, the fear made a good point in noting that change could also mean something dangerous.

But then the blunette got this feeling; as if this very one place was peaceful by nature, she could no longer believe it to hold any harm for her. Before any other part of her could object, the teenager pushed open the door and looked inside; what she saw took her breath away.

It was brightly lit in pink and green light, with images of Hitomi and Madoka floating everywhere through the room. All kinds of expressions could be seen on their faces, some just frozen like any picture... but others were actually moving, almost like a small video; there was a 'clip' of Madoka choking on her drink and blushing, maybe about fifteen seconds long. It played out and restarted from the beginning every time, creating a weird loop. Another of the pictures displayed Hitomi, concentrated on a book she was holding. Sayaka could even read the title, although she never heard about it before anyway.

There were many others, reaching deep into the building and more light was emanating from a stairwell leading downwards.

 _Wait... is this some kind of weird way to show me something about them?_

The moment she wondered about that, Sayaka already realised how stupid it sounded. This was still a dream, so maybe some of her memories started to influence it? That sounded way more believable at once.

However, there was apparently nothing else in this building and even if there was, the blunette did not feel like exploring her memories of her best friends to find it. She took the two to three steps back and left through the door before closing it shut. It would be around on other days as well, so she should keep going; in the worst case, Sayaka had just lost precious exploration time to something that was not worth her attention after all. Looking into something she already knew and remembered had far less appeal than venturing into the unknown.

The girl sighed and sped up, the sound she made echoing back in the eerie quiet; she payed no attention to it anymore, mostly to not prompt her contorted instincts to vote for flight again. This was what sent her back most of the time; they just overwhelmed her at one point on her track and filled her with fear, leading to a harsh awakening. Sayaka already understood that she could get out of this city whenever she wanted days ago, but she was too curious to just take the easy way out.

This city was empty aside from her and this phenomenon she just observed; it had no apparent purpose. However, the teenager knew that everything existed for a reason, even if it was just created for the fun of it; she wanted to know what the dead city was for. Somewhere deep within her heart, Sayaka knew that answers would lie at the end of this journey. She just had to make it there.

Thus, she went on.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Past a large gym blocking the way and over a smaller bridge leading over a river that appeared frozen -but which she knew was just perfectly still from two nights ago-, she made good progress. Her body did not seem to tire as easily as when she was awake, courtesy of the dream.

And then she had arrived; standing right in front of the large central tower, Sayaka stared upwards at the dark sky. It was only a few nuances brighter than the black fog surrounding the city, making the point where the two met indistinguishable. The tower's top could not be seen through the strange mass up there, so high was it standing; Sayaka knew that her goal was beyond the clouds, but this point was where she left the last time. This building was intimidating in how it seemed to have grown out of the sky because of the dark grey, almost black metal it was made of. Now that she had a day to cool down and think about it, the thought of danger waiting for her behind the large gate made no sense to the blunette anymore; still, the mere idea had been enough to have her fear return and throw her out of the dream. This time, Sayaka knew better and used the full force of her mind to crush the fright.

The blunette did not think much as she pushed open one of the large doors; it opened without any sound or problem. Within... was just a large stairwell leading upwards. No rooms, no nothing; however, she saw a platform above. It took in the whole width of the tower's interior, so Sayaka could not see any further.

The thought of what might be lying behind was crushed before it could result in any ideas; it was too dangerous right now. However, the feeling of dread did not leave entirely; it never did for the last week, so she was used to it by now. Sayaka carefully took the stairs and wondered how far they might be reaching behind the platform. Thankfully, the stairwell was wide enough for her to walk comfortably in its middle; there was no railing on the open side, but she was more than a meter away from it anyway. Still, the blunette tried her best not to look down just in case; she had never been afraid of heights, but she got the feeling her twisted subconciousness might think otherwise ... and this would be a long trip upwards.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

When she closed in on the -what else did she expect in terms of colouring- black platform, Sayaka noted the stairs passing right through an opening in the darkened metal. Paying no real mind to that, the blunette carried on and soon went through the platform; interestingly, there were fifteen seats arrayed on top of it in lines of five, all facing the stairs... and all of them empty. It was creepy in a way, knowing that there was someone or something expected to be sitting here; however, Sayaka knew better than to ponder this any further right now. She could think about it later, when a sudden bout of fear would not stop her from making progress. Sadly, the stairwell went on for quite a bit longer; there were no more platforms above, only the distant top... however, it was at least twice as far away from her current position as the platform had been from the ground. Additionally and despite her raised stamina, Sayaka was starting to sweat now. It felt weird with no clothes to absorb her perspiration, seeing that the liquid just stayed on her skin and rolled down once it grew too heavy; sometimes she also shed it with her steady stride.

Still, the girl walked on and constantly gained height; with every step however, the thought of how high she would be at this point became more prominent now. She was tempted to take a glance downwards, to see how far she already went... but at the same time, Sayaka knew exactly how that would end. The ceiling was coming closer step by echoing step and she was devoted to finding out what was up there; fright was unnecessary and she knew it, but that did not let the crawling sensation on her back fade. It did nothing about the nagging sensation of something watching her, either. The only thing she could do was will it away and hope for her mind to hold it off long enough.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

At long last though, the blunette reached her destination and pushed open another door at the stairwell's end; it swung open as quietly as the large gate far below -the thought almost made her look down- and revealed another, very short set of stairs... and blue light above shining through the opening in the ceiling they were attached to.

Seeing that there was something new, curiousity sent a jolt through her body and had the slender legs move almost by themselves; Sayaka ventured that last bit of way... and found herself on yet another platform, although this one lay under a navy blue sky. No more stairs, no more walls, no nothing... just the endless blue above, endless black only a few meters below and grey fog in the distance. There was nothing up here but a single chair... no, more of a throne made of black stone. It was not very elaborately done, not by a far margin; however, Sayaka could feel its importance.

However, the new scenery as well as this sense of foreboding had another wave of fear surge through the teenager, making her shiver... and then she tensed when something gently swooped over her body. It was not corporeal, nothing solid; no, Sayaka realised, this was a gust of air caressing her exposed skin that glistened from sweat. She was completely defenseless.

 _Something happened!_

There had been no moving air before, so why should there be any now? Did her successful ascent mean anything... or was it just that there _was_ air above the black sky? Whatever the case, the breeze prompted her to cast a glance into the distance; she wondered where it might be coming from.

And then she realised that the distant fog was constantly waving, crawling and moving. It never took a decisive form, but it never stopped, either.

 _Maybe... this is what eternity looks like?_

Wherever this thought had come from, it enamored her entire being for a moment, made Sayaka watch this reminder of eons... until a new feeling stalked into the mix: eternity was _looking back_. The blunette did not know how she understood it, but the sensation was so strong that it could not be her imagination; and when something gently touched her very mind...

...the fear jolted her awake.

Sayaka kept lying under the blanket and stared at the ceiling with widened eyes; her alarm had not started beeping yet, so she had that time. Actually, it was Sunday... the thing would not even try to wake her up, which was even better... it meant she had even more time to think.

 _What..._

There had definitely been something trying to touch her, although she had no idea for the reason. What was it... and why did she become so philosophical there?

Sayaka sighed and raised one of her hands to look at it; the fingers flexed under her subconcious command, moving and brushing against each other at times.

 _Let's see..._

Her mind returned to what she just lived through and tried to make sense of it; this was always the hardest part so far, seeing that Sayaka was just not good at this kind of thing.

 _Memories from Madoka and Hitomi flying around in that one place... that was probably coming from me, so I don't need to think about it..._

Of all the things she saw in this city, the bout of memories was probably the least important; at least Sayaka hoped that it was, seeing that anything else would mean bad things. Her fingers clenched into a fist and relaxed again, the movement doing its part of calming her to think; she was safe here and her fear subsided to the most part.

 _That tower just had one large stair... seriously, who builds this kind of thing?_

By all means, this city appeared like a Witch's labyrinth; still, there was neither a familiar nor one of the horrifying beings around. It was dead silent, so... what did it mean? And more importantly...

 _What about that throne? It looked hard and uncomfortable to sit on... and then there was something in my mind._

A weird sensation of something touching her within her head was the only thing she had to work with, so pondering that part was probably futile; the blunette decided to think about it later. However, now she had to wonder on how to carry on. If this was the last time this dream came for her, she would not miss it at all; Sayaka always thought that after waking up. If it were to return though... what then?

 _I reached the end of wherever I feel I have to go, but there's nothing except this... throne... wait..._

Slowly, the middle-schooler started to understand what she probably had to do; it sent a spike of fear for what this might lead to down her spine, which prompted the hand to clamp up and clench into a fist once more. Sayaka's expression did not change very much, though; at least that was something she got under control by now.

Sighing heavily, the blunette made the effort to relax her fingers before the nails drew blood -it was a close call, though- and finally lowered her arm arm back down onto the bed.

 _So... I am supposed to sit on that thing..._

Aside from the uncertainty over what this might do, the girl shivered uncomfortably over the prospect of sitting on bare stone without having any clothes. It would probably be alright because it was a dream, but still...

 _Now that I'm awake anyway... I... guess I should get something to eat._

Her stomach agreed to that with a low growl while Sayaka sat up and rubbed her temples for a moment. For some reason, her appetite had increased quite a bit over the last week as well; she felt as if she really needed to eat more, which was weird. So far, her growth and some running once in a while helped the middle-schooler with staying thin, but if that went on... she would probably get fat very soon.

However, hunger was hunger. Sayaka got up and left the room, deciding to get dressed after helping herself to some pudding from the fridge.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"It's good to see you so energetic again, Nagi-chan", her aunt noted over the cheerfully humming girl. Nagisa looked up from the picture she was drawing with a smile and nodded. "Nagisa is happy! Mama will come home next week and I can have cake with her again!"

Of course, this was only a part of the truth; she also got to work with a lot of nice older girls and Yuri brought her to help someone else at the hospital just yesterday. Unfortunately, everyone told her not to tell anyone about what they were doing. Even Kyubey agreed with the other Magical Girls, so Nagisa accepted it; she was not really happy, though. Why was it bad to tell her family and friends?

"My, my; yes, you're right, dear."

Her aunt was smiling and happy as well, so everything was fine.

 **. . .**

Further towards the center of town, Hitomi sat in front of her desk and was brooding once again; she did so far too often over the last week, but it was impossible not to. Mostly-finished homework lay in front of her and the lime-haired girl knew she should finish this first; however, the heavy thoughts she examined would not let her push them back. They were there and wanted to be thought about and would not go away.

A tired groan escaped Hitomi while she rested her head on the cool wood, closing her eyes for a moment. No matter how she looked at it, this was not good.

Kyubey made it a habit to drop by whenever something interesting happened. He had some way to show her what happened around the Magical Girls -scrying, he called it-, so they went to observe a few of their exploits together. They seemed to be training... and the middle-schooler was more than just a bit intimidated by those girls now. She saw how they were moving, destroying targets made of solid steel with graceful ease. Even the youngest, a girl of ten years, could easily lay waste to whatever stood in her way.

A head-on approach would not work; it _could_ not work. Sadly though, this Witch Akemi Yuri... Kyubey mentioned that she was smart, so playing mindgames would probably not work, either. Still, it was a better bet than contracting and trying to get this sorted out with brute force. After all, the latter would have her go against at least four people, three of them quite powerful even for Magical Girl-standards. According to Kyubey, that was.

 _My only advantage is that they do not suspect me... but I am almost without help and by far not strong enough to do anything... although..._

That was when an idea snapped through her head; it was a long shot and would probably not work, but it might be worth thinking about... but later. Now was for homework.

It took her a while, but Hitomi managed to push the forming plan back down to concentrate. She only had the math assignment left, so it should go rather smoothly. Hopefully.

Maybe.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

After more than an hour of agonisingly slow work, she was done at last. Hitomi had to solve even smaller equations than usual with her calculator, she needed to look into her notes and books twice as often, but she was done. Leaning back with a sigh, the lime-haired girl relaxed her body and stayed content with being done for a moment before returning to the more pressing problems.

And to find Kyubey on her desk, looking down at the still opened notebook. His unexpected arrival did no longer surprise her much, though; she was used to it by now, seeing that he usually let her finish whatever she was doing before making himself noticeable. It was quite nice of him, to do so.

 _'Hm. You have few mistakes in your calculations, but most of it is correct.'_

What a nice greeting, though.

"Hello to you too, Kyubey."

Hitomi was still quite happy to see the feline, but his comment already worsened her mood; she actually thought to have done all of this right, so having him find mistakes in five to ten seconds of looking at her work... felt not so good.

 _'My bad; hello, Hitomi. It seemed as if there was something on your mind.'_

That was not a question and they both knew it; sometimes, she actually suspected Kyubey to be reading her thoughts regardless of what he said, but maybe he was just that empathetic. After all, he was absolutely right; the middle-schooler brought her hands down into her lap and cast a curious glance at her visitor. "Actually, you are right. I was wondering whether it would work if I chose to wish Akemi Yuri-san away."

It sounded like a good idea, at least to her; that way, she could get the unsuspecting Witch out of commission before any of her enthralled companions might stop her.

He tilted his head slightly as she started to scratch the spot behind his ears, mostly out of habit by now; the short, white fur was surprisingly soft and fluffy. Nonetheless, neither of them was distracted from their task, seeing that they had to give it their all.

 _'While it is not out of the question, I can not recommend this approach. Once you make your wish, even I can not foresee how it may unfold. No matter which kind of wording you were to choose, it might still not work out.'_

"Hm? What do you mean with that?"

It was disheartening to hear him disagree with her assessment; Hitomi was well aware of how smart the small feline was, so she found herself trusting his judgement completely already. Whatever resources he had, he had more than she did at least, probably by a wide margin.

 _'For one, I do believe that Akemi Yuri was created by a wish herself; for something like this to happen, it had to be a fairly powerful girl forming the contract, most likely more powerful than you. If you were to make a wish directly opposed to this other girl like wishing her away, it might not work out as you planned. It is likely that nothing would happen at all; or even worse, maybe it would twist the meaning and just give this Witch the power to turn herself invisible. There are too many dangerous implications we just don't know enough about as of yet to use this wish. If you wished her dead instead, this falls under the same problem; maybe your wish does kill her, but a Witch can be reborn from her Grief Seed within a few days. There is at least one other Witch working with her, so she might get away before her influence on the girls wavers.'_

The lime-haired girl deflated over the lengthy explanation. He was absolutely right and she felt stupid once again. That happened rather regularly ever since they started conversing.

"I... I see..."

 _'Nonetheless, that was a good idea of yours. It can not be done, but I did not even think about it so far. Is there anything else you thought of?'_

She had one more, but the wish of undoing a Witch's Kiss might be a bit too narrowly focussed. Aside from that, Hitomi did not want to drag Sayaka into this... and she knew the blunette would jump at a contract like this one, if just to spite the Witch that stopped her from doing it before. Then again, why did she even put a mark on Sayaka? Madoka she could understand, seeing that Kyubey mentioned her having outstanding potential... but...

 _Am I actually trying to understand a Witch's reasoning?_

Despite her human appearance, this being was definitely alien in nature; she should not apply human values or a human train of thought to something like her.

Hitomi sighed and cradled Kyubey in her arms; she really needed to latch onto something right now and the feline made no complaints or comments. They just sat there for a while, the small body enveloped by her arms and apparently content with the warmth they shared.

"No... I have nothing more, at least nothing I want to discuss. There are one or two ideas, but I would like to think about them myself first. It is just so... so frustrating; everything was easy just three weeks ago and now..."

He shifted a bit and stared up at her, red eyes as calm and cold as always. When Hitomi did not finish the sentence, Kyubey took over: _'I understand what you mean. Being drawn into something like this, suddenly having to think in unfamiliar patterns... it is difficult at first, but I think you will get used to it. I felt somewhat similar when I took over the post on Earth from my predecessor, although I received specialised training beforehand.'_

"Huh?"

Now green orbs refocussed on the red spheres looking up at her from her chest. This sounded a bit strange... or maybe he was telling her about himself a bit? Still, it was probably better to ask. "What do you mean with that? Are you not from this world?"

 _'In fact, I am not'_ , the response had her flinch for a moment. So... she was holding an alien and not just something magical?

It felt a bit weird to have this sudden realisation and to understand that they were not alone after all; there was another race, so there would probably be more. _'You see, my people have been working with humankind for a long time now. The first Witches appeared as soon as your young race discovered the usage of fire; we have been on this world ever since.'_

An alien. She really had an alien in her room, and a really advanced one at that; Hitomi's head started to hurt over the implications, but she tried to remain calm. It was not easy not to freak out, but the fact that Kyubey did not seem to care at all helped her. He was probably used to having contact with all kinds of civilisations, so she should keep her composure as well.

"I see... so there have been Magical Girls in all times and ages?"

 _'Exactly. You are taking this far better than most other girls I told, though; it is really sad that I rarely get to work with people like you, Hitomi.'_

She smiled over the compliment, although the more probable reason for her staying so calm was that every further word he spoke made her mind a bit more numb. Even imagining a past they shared with Kyubey's people, unseen throughout time, was barely possible for her; the girl's thoughts were going in circles already and she felt a headache forming. Still, she had not been raised to loose herself over anything at all; for as long as she could, Hitomi would remain calm.

"My, thank you. Although I have to admit... were it not for the fact that my friends are in danger and the convincing proof you provided, I would not have even wanted to talk to you."

She knew herself well enough to tell; the feline was nice and very helpful, but the prospect of forming a contract with it, even for a wish, would have not been very promising to her. Due to these irregular circumstances where her opponents were eldritch abominations however, she really had to think about it.

 _'I am aware of that. On the other hand, Hitomi, I would not have spoken to you under normal circumstances, either.'_ , Kyubey replied with his expression unchanging as she put him back down on her desk. The lime-haired girl doubted that there was any offense intended with what he just said; it was merely the truth. Both of them would not work with each other, were the situation not this weird and potentially dangerous. It made her smile widen a bit more.

"Yes, I can see why. So now that the two of us are working together, we really have to figure out on how to make this right."

Because she would defeat Akemi Yuri and free all of them; her friends as well as those Magical Girls under her control.


	59. Gears of Fate V

A soft breeze flew past the girl and caressed her face as it went; she had just opened the door leading to the one person she wanted to see right now. Blue eyes were directed at the figure sitting on the bed, ignoring the clinically white walls or sparse interior; there was nothing of interest there anyway.

Sayaka slid the door open very gently, though this was mostly to calm her fluttering nerves; she had not been here for a few days now, seeing that she thought she should deal with her strange dream first. It took up a lot of her time thinking about what it might mean, which was still the case, but now that it would apparently take longer to get this out of her system than she thought, the blunette changed her decision. He might think something strange if she stopped visiting altogether.

The fear was still present, although at a surprising low; it was steadied by anxiousness, though. Here he was, her crush since childhood... confined to a hospital bed after this horrible accident. From what she could see while quietly tapping through the room, he had been looking out of the window again. Kyosuke did that rather often as of late.

However, he was also listening to some kind of music... and the bandages around his hand were gone.

 _Huh? W-When did that happen?_

From the look of it, he seemed to be completely fine... was that what the nurses had been so cheerful about when she entered?

Sayaka just reached the bed when the boy turned his head and took note of her with a surprised smile. He quickly stopped the player and took out his headphones. "Hey, it's been a few days. Did something come up?"

So he did notice that she visited less than usual... somehow, this made her heart jump for a moment. On the other hand, it was unlikely that he noticed her feelings; he was just concerned as he would be for anyone.

Still, neither of those thoughts showed on her face. Sayaka put on a cheerful smile and slumped onto the chair standing right next to the bed. "Yup, got some things to sort out. How are you doing?"

It was just as usual, although Sayaka knew she had changed a bit over the last week; she was thinking more and had to force carefree responses at one point or another. No one noticed it yet, but the blunette was not really concerned, either. Everyone changed over time, so maybe it was now time for her to grow up a bit.

The small voice asking whether this could happen so quickly went unheard. Her attention was focussed on her crush, who had become thoughtful and slowly raised his free hand before flexing the fingers a bit. "You know... I think I'm feeling better than I have for a while now. When I woke up this morning, my hand was perfectly fine and the doctors examined it until noon... they said it's a miracle and that they have no idea how it happened."

He spoke slowly, as if he could hardly believe it himself; Sayaka understood that, seeing that she was just as surprised. However, her mind already found a possible solution: magic. It was probably the only solution if the doctors were calling it a miracle... so someone used magic or formed a contract to get this boy's hand healed. Still, even when this explained it, a surge of happiness coursed through the blunette as well and made her smile brightly. "That's great to hear! Now you can finally get out of here!"

 **. . .**

While the boy smiled back and nodded maybe even more enthusiastically, he wondered whether he should mention what he saw. However, everyone else would probably say he hallucinated, so he kept quiet over it so far... and decided to keep it that way. It probably was a dream or hallucination to wake up in the middle of night, basked in white light and with a little girl bowed over his hand. He could not see her face because the brightness blinded him and once his eyes had adjusted, she was gone alongside the light. He only remembered all of this after waking up in the morning and his careful questions led nowhere; all the other children staying at the hospital were nowhere near his room and the nurses on night shift did not see anyone walking around, either.

It was weird and no one would believe him anyway, so it was fine if he kept that part to himself.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

A times, Lilly got this nagging feeling.

To a human, she would probably describe it as an itch, though not in her body but in her mind. It appeared once in a while and would vanish rather quickly, seeing that the Witch always acted on it. This was what stopped her from releasing magic even when there was no apparent reason not to in the last timeline, for example. Following those moments, she quickly became aware of Kyubey watching her.

This nagging was how Mortal World's Witch knew that her instincts were telling her something; she was not sure what it was, but no reason for it was in sight. Several hours had passed as the eldritch being pondered what it might mean, but nothing came to mind.

That was her main problem with this; it did never tell her what to do, only that something had to be done.

A tired glance moved upwards from the roof she sat on for a while now; aside from a few people passing by below, nothing bothered her... but now she found the dark sky looming down on her and sighed. Several hours of thought and no results; a great way to waste time. She had some to spare, mind you, but it was still not pleasant to get nothing out of it.

 _Mhm... no irregular Magical Girls, all known threats from outside were eliminated... we have Mami and Kyoko with us and Madoka is scared... Miki is bound, so..._

What else was left? From known actors and factors, this only left Shizuki and Saotome; those two might be able to influence the outcome at this point, but still... Lilly needed to stall Madoka's wish until the time was right to make Kyoko understand the severity of all this in full. It hurt to doom this timeline already, but one more Witch, no matter how powerful, would not tip the scales. No, she would cheat fate once again and claim Madoka's survival as her prize.

Still, her paranoia won over and made her make a decision; she would check on all three regular girls as well as their homeroom-teacher before heading home. Additionally, Mortal World's Witch decided to pay a short visit to the boy Nagisa healed just the night before and also look for the Magical Girl's mother.

"There you are."

Lilly flinched over the voice suddenly speaking up and turned her head; she found Kyoko looking down on her sitting form from the roof's edge, clad in her Magical Girl-attire and holding an apple in her hand. "What're you doing here, Yuri? Dinner was an hour ago."

The Witch shrugged and got to her feet before stretching her arms; it produced a few cracks that made a small wave of relief flood through her body. "I guess so... there was something I had to think about; nothing bad, I just get the feeling I'm missing something."

The redhead seemed far more at ease now, especially in difference to their first actual day of training with Nagisa. Those two got along just fine and the older girl probably got over her conflicted feelings, although Lilly and her had a few short conversations on the background of what happened in the last timeline. However, Mami still failed to mention the circumstances surrounding the other Kyoko's death so far... maybe she should be given a nudge, especially because this version had asked about it more than once. At least the blonde was getting more steady again and would probably leave her alone now.

"Really? Any idea what it might be?"

Lilly rolled her eyes and walked over to the redhead. Would she have missed dinner thinking about this if she had an idea?

Apparently, the look she gave Kyoko was more than enough of a response; the Magical Girl shrugged and held the apple out to her. "Figures. Bet you're hungry, so..."

"Thanks."

She took the fruit and quickly bit down on it, hunger coming out of wherever it hid before now. The familiar crunching as her teeth crushed the juicy treat sounded nice to her; a sweet taste advanced down the Witch's tongue and made her sigh inwardly.

Once she was done with her first bite, Lilly cast another glance at Kyoko, who was eyeing her with open curiousity... so the redhead probably realised that this was unusual behaviour on her part. She never missed a meal, especially not when Mami or Homura made it. Which was, coincidentally, every meal they had.

"You sure it's just that something's bugging you?"

Another set of crunching as Lilly pondered whether she should speak up. Homura was already getting paranoid with making sure everything worked out, which was not for her to worry about; Kyoko, on the other hand, was rather free of such worries. It was probably fine to mention a few of her suspicions, so she paused in annihilating the apple after her second bite to respond.

"No. This is the same instinct that saved me from being found out by Kyubey in the last timeline a few times. I _know_ something is wrong... or might go wrong, but I don't know _what_."

The Magical Girl's eyes narrowed over her serious tone. "Should we tell everyone, then?"

It was reasonable to let the other members of their group know, it was probably a good idea even... but Lilly shook her head vehemently. "No, please keep it to yourself. I have no idea as it is, so the others probably won't be able to help. Besides, Kyubey would notice that we noticed something once all of us start looking out for oddities and try to lure us into wrong guesses... and on top of that, Homura is worrying more than enough as it is."

The others might not have noticed it yet, but her sister was working less and thinking more; raids on the Yakuza had slowed down to a crawl -although this was also because they already had enough equipment- and the time traveler was found staring out of the window more than once already. Actually, Lilly was afraid of her counterpart having shut down over what they decided to do; sacrificing this Madoka to make sure to save the next... it hurt the Witch just as much and she would rather eat a hundred humans... sadly though, this would not help them at all. Something had to be done and they had to make sure it worked; thus, Lilly would do the only thing she was good at: cheating.

She was born by someone -Madoka- cheating around the rules of her kin and Magical Girls, her abilities were cheating the whole system of magic -magic-devouring flames, unlimited time stop and Telekinesis that could finish any fight in seconds-... in short, Homulilly was one giant Cheat-Code, handed to Akemi Homura by Kaname Madoka. Of course it made sense, seeing that no being -sans Madoka- had the power to change anything of actual relevance; the only way to change it was by cheating, which Lilly was really good at.

"I see your point. So... uh... what d'you normally do when you've got no idea?"

Ah, right, Kyoko was still there. The Witch shrugged and cast a glance downwards while taking another bite out of the apple. The people down there had no idea someone was watching them, milling about just as usual; no one even thought about looking up. It was both pitiful and desirable, being able to be so ignorant about the world surrounding them; Lilly would never be able to not look over her shoulder or listen for movement in the shadows.

"I'll go and check everyone that might be involved in trouble Kyubey cooked up, that means Madoka and her friends, their teacher and families as well as Miki Sayaka's crush."

"Hm..."

Kyoko crushed a stick of Pocky with loud crunching noises, which created an interesting cacophony with her own chewing on yet another bite; it was sad to know the apple would be gone in two or three more, seeing that she was still hungry. That was what thoughtful Witches got for missing dinner, though.

"What about other Magical Girls? Could he bring some of them in?"

It was nice of the other girl to try helping her think, but Lilly could only smile tiredly while casting a glance back at her. "Homura already took care of all the stronger girls within twenty kilometers all around Mitakihara, including some of the more promising candidates. The only exception was you."

Kyoko blinked in a mixture of surprise and shock, although there was just a little bit of the latter. "Oh. Uh..."

The Witch snorted and shook her head. "I'm grateful you're trying to help, but it will be fine. Would you mind getting back and telling the others I'll run late?"

"Sure."

It was nice of her, yes... but Lilly was still paranoid. It was her most important trait, allowing her to have an edge in almost every situation.

 **. . .**

The redhead sighed the moment Yuri vanished before even finishing her apple. This girl really was weird... which made sense, considering that an eldritch abomination hid within that human body of hers. Still, doing everything oneself was not what working in a team meant; but what should she do about it? Telling the others regardless would only result in her losing Yuri's trust... and Kyoko knew she was not smart enough to be of help by herself.

The Magical Girl made a few quick leaps and turned homewards... or rather towards the direction Mami's place was in. It was not home, but a nice place at least. Maybe she should try to grill Candel over how their progress was over the last few days... going by how the doll was experimenting all the time, they were at least getting something done.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Just as expected, everyone was in the living room when Kyoko returned; she entered over the balcony as usual and slumped down at the table without saying anything, although all gazes except Candeloro's were on her.

In fact, the small Witch was currently busy holding a small marble in her arms, something that even the redhead could have hidden in her fist if she wanted to. It gave off a menacing aura they were very familiar with.

"So... did you find her, Kyoko?"

Mami sounded tired as she sipped her tea, which was understandable; the blonde had been worrying over the missing Witch even before dinner and neither of them found her until then. Homura seemed to take it in stride and sorted through a few notes of hers; might be homework, might be something different, Kyoko did not really care. She started observing their eldritch companion and answered the question: "Sure did; Yuri says she has some more things to take care of, so she'll run late."

Although it was unlikely that Mami would not leave a small meal for the raven-haired girl anyway; honestly, if anything, being shot down only made her more determined to win the Witch's heart... she was just less obvious about it now. Still, the redhead knew better than to expect her old friend to change; not anytime soon, at least.

"I see. Did you come across anything else on your way?"

She shook her head and leaned over to watch Candel a bit closer, although neither of the other two paid much attention to it; the doll was playing around with this marble for at least a day now and they got used to it. It was still a weird, trickling feeling to have something that obviously eldritch right next to her... but Kyoko even managed to sleep properly. She really needed to find out whether her Soul Gem could be tuned to ignore these particular Witches... hunting became all but impossible with them around except if they led the way.

"Any progress, Candel?"

The doll was taking up the fourth side of the table, her legs uncurled and rolled out all around her; she did not look up when Kyoko asked the question, but the gentle caresses of her ribbons became slower and crawled to a halt. "Um... I think so. We finally have the basic outline and characteristics set, so we can probably start expanding it tomorrow."

"You always say we", Homura noted after a moment of silence they all used to take in the shrouds of yellow and purple mixing with each other in the marble, "but I only ever saw you holding it."

This prompted the doll to giggle and sheepishly stroke her price-tag while balancing the marble with her other arm. "Welllll... I'm better at keeping it composed, Lilly says. She tried to do it herself first, but the barrier just popped like a bubble in seconds. It's weird, but she can't sustain a barrier despite being the one who knows how to do it."

Right, they mentioned before that Candel had not the faintest idea of how to create one; from how Kyoko understood it, the two Witches were compromised to a different degree in regards to their powers. Homulilly had the knowledge but could not use it while Candeloro had the abilities but no idea how to use them. The older Witch thought that it might be connected to the doll still having her actual body.

"What can we expect from your barriers once you manage to make them grow in size?"

That was Homura, who continued not to look at any of them; the raven-haired girl turned a page and kept her eyes leveled on the paper. Candel turned slightly before probably looking at the marble in her hands. Actually, Kyoko was curious about that as well; would this be exactly like a regular Witch's barrier, or did those two include some interesting tricks?

"I... I'm not sure. It will be a barrier and all of us can probably enter at will... but Lilly said she wants to test a lot of things before we let you inside. Uh... but I still can't make minions and we don't really need to hide, so we won't make it big, I think."

Before either of them could react to that, the doll pressed her barrier closer to... what might be her chest and sighed. "It's so sad; my minions are so kind and gentle, yet I have no idea how to create them. It's the same for Lilly, although she never told me about hers."

Gentle minions? That was probably a delusion only the Witch in question could have; however, Kyoko knew better than to argue about it. Candel might not take that well .

"A-Anyway", Mami's counterpart finished with her price-tag falling slightly, "I'm really not sure yet, so could you give us some more time?"

 **. . .**

Thankfully, none of the others seemed keen on pursuing the matter right now. Kyoko nodded and Mami smiled reassuringly. "Of course; this is a pet project of yours to begin with, so neither of us will rush you... but I sure hope you can do it without hurting anyone."

Her sister was worrying about the people around, which Candel had done as well after thinking about it. They needed a home, yes... but sustaining it might be difficult. Lilly knew that, but she said that a small barrier should work out without the need to hurt someone for energy. The doll trusted her friend, so she stopped asking at this point. Right now, she nodded quickly and shifted the proto-barrier's balance. "Don't worry, Mami; we do our best to make sure of that."

The rhythmic pulsing of her barrier was like a small heartbeat resonating with the faint stream of magic her Grief Seed sent through this body of hers. Candel could feel it vibrating with strength; she knew that it was probably steady enough to be expanded now, but Lilly had the final say in this matter. It was a slow process because she had to get a feeling for how to do it, but the Dress-Up Witch was confident of being able to do it a lot faster in the future.

She was content with this little thing because it was something she _made_. Not like her barrels or ribbons, seeing that those were just extensions of her body. This, however... she made this. Lilly told her what to do and she crafted it with her own magic. Candel felt wonderful, thrilled and happy over her success. This was probably also her friend's reason for experimenting so much; it was wonderful to find something new you could do.

Of course keeping the proto-barrier balanced and active would make her wake through this night as well, but that should be fine. The last all-nighter did not do much bad to her and the doll was sure it would not be different with the next one.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

It was quiet when she returned; the lights were out and the others probably asleep already. Lilly sighed within her time-stop and walked through the living room. This pile of covers on the couch was probably Kyoko, so she really was later than expected; a glance to the clock told her it was already past midnight. Great.

All of her current points of observation had been in bed or in the process of getting there when she dropped by; the Witch took a few glances and checked their personal things before leaving for the next person, but nothing strange presented itself.

Her stomach growled to remind her of its state of emptiness, which brought the eldritch being to once again pillage the fridge; she just had to be careful about what she took, seeing that Mami would probably notice if it was too much. Still, hunger was hunger, so... the blonde left the leftovers for her, of course. Lilly was not sure whether she should be angry or happy about the plate filled with rice, pork and vegetables waiting on the counter when she entered the kitchen. It was food and she was hungry, yes... but Mami doing things for her was already becoming a sign of affection, which she neither needed nor wanted. To make matters worse, she was not sure whether this was just general concern for a friend or, once again, more.

In the end, hunger won over complex thought and she unwrapped the plate.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

There it was again.

Sayaka's path through the uncanny city was just as before, although another store was lit now besides 'Kind and Calm'; this time, there was no obvious sign stating its name. In fact, the blunette had no desire to actually go inside right now; she wanted to get this over with and find out what was going on.

Past all the obstacles she went around before and pushing back her fear over what might lie at the end of this path, the girl proceeded. The still river went by and she took the tower with slight exhaustion, but emerged on top at the end. Once again, a soft breeze caressed Sayaka's skin and made her shiver. However, she knew what would happen very soon and braced herself for the touch of whatever being resided in this place; however, nothing happened.

After a while of quiet expectation and more than a little trouble controlling her emotions, the blunette sighed and looked around.

 _Of course it doesn't come... hey, was that fog always bluish grey?_

She was sure the fog engulfing the horizon in all directions had been just grey the day before; now it had a slight tinge of blue to it, though. If anything, the navy blue sky above seemed to be even more intense. This black mass the lower sky was made of had not changed in colour, though.

So here she was on this platform once again, but there was nothing left to do. The faint touch of whatever was now watching her had not come... so what to do? A wondering gaze hit the throne, prompting a spark of thought; maybe something were to happen if she sat down?

In fact, Sayaka was starting to get impatient with the lack of events taking place now; even when it might lead to her getting thrown out of the dream, she decided to push further and see what came of it. So she gently lowered herself onto the chilly stone...

 **. . .**

Only Kyubey was present at this hour of the night, but observing Miki Sayaka as well as Kaname Madoka might be important; thus, the Incubator decided to keep watch whenever it was possible. Of course it made sure not to be seen, just in case Akemi Yuri was watching.

When Sayaka started to glow in a faint, bluish purple however, it became attentive at once and started to analyse.

 **. . .**

...There it was, the sensation of something touching her very mind; it was very careful and even felt warm this time, which kept the fear at bay and made her relax on this throne... her throne.

 _"Um... hey, uh... who are you? C-Can you hear me? Hello?"_

Her attempt to start a mental conversation remained unanswered, though. There was nothing but this soft pulsing keeping her calm and collected; it felt nice... and she got the feeling that it was telling her something anyway, although in a way she could not put in words. Whatever it was, Sayaka comprehended and managed to relax for the first time in more than a week. She had been on edge this whole time, powered by what had to be outright paranoia... and now she was calm.

In this state of serenity, she found the lower sky dissolving into black smoke, allowing the blunette to view the city from above. A weak layer of blackish blue remained in its place, although it did not stop her from observing what happened below properly... which was nothing. Still, it felt significant to her; observing even this unchanging place was interesting, her imagination painting some of the stores and setting them up for customers... why was she doing that, a part of her wondered. Every other bit of Miki Sayaka's being was enthralled by the new sensation.

She wanted to see more; she wanted to understand human nature and keep watch as people interacted with each other. She had to, she loved to, she wanted to.

Sayaka had found purpose, her very own destination of never having a destination. Joy coursed through her whole body and made tears of joy slide down her slim frame. They rolled quietly while the blunette leaned back and smiled. Now that she understood all of this, it was time to wake up at last...

...and in difference to all these other times, she did not do so with a start. Blue eyes were revealed when her eyelids slid open, taking in the ceiling with vigor she had not felt for a while.

Sayaka felt... good. The fear was still there, gnawing on her mind, but it appeared a bit more acceptable. She was not fine, but she was alright. Now however, the young girl also knew that something was definitely wrong with her. She had no idea what, but this sudden change in her feelings was noteworthy.

Strangely though, she was calm about it. No bursts of panic or frantic wondering what might have happened like she should display given the kind of person she was... and this kind of thought was new just as well. Where did it come from, she wondered.

 _Okay... I guess this isn't just 'growing up'... maybe I should go and ask the Magical Girls?_

What happened to her was definitely not normal, she could tell that much; but what to do? Revealing this to someone else might prove dangerous after all, seeing that she had no idea what exactly changed herself.

Sighing, the blunette turned off her alarm a minute before it would start annoying her and rolled out of bed; her first path this morning led to the wardrobe. Although Sayaka found sleeping naked to be quite the pleasant experience when she tried it this night, it was cold outside of her covers and she was shivering already. No good.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

After getting dressed and having a filling breakfast, the blunette made her way to the usual meeting place; much to her surprise, she was the first one around today. It was usually Hitomi who arrived first; on the other hand, the lime-haired girl made herself noticeable not even a minute later. "Ah, Sayaka-san. You are rather early today."

They exchanged smiles while the blunette waved, then she went to scratch her head with a chuckle. "Yep... I guess I just woke up a bit early today."

Or she ate a bit faster than usual, although this little detail was probably not worth mentioning. Her friend gave her a good-natured smile and nodded. "I see. It will probably not change anything, though..."

Because... well, they were still missing one. Sayaka knew that and shrugged. "Eh, doesn't matter. At least I managed to arrive first at least once in Middle School. That's a success", she finished with a fist-pump that had the more well-mannered girl chuckle.

They had to wait a little while longer before a certain pinkette came in sight.

"Sayaka-chan, Hitomi-chan, good morning!"

As usual, Madoka was running late; they were used to it for a long time now, though. Neither of the two girls gave much thought to it, seeing that they would probably still be on time.

However, something was off; when Madoka finally joined them and they exchanged greetings, some part of the blunette's mind tried to figure out what was different about her pink-haired friend today. In the end, she decided it had to be her scent... however she could even smell it over this distance. Especially because Hitomi did not react to it at all.

Maybe she really should have a talk with the Magical Girls...


	60. Collapsing Stage I

She did not pay any mind to it at first, but it took up more of her attention as time passed on; something was in the air, Sayaka could not deny that. To make matters worse, no one else reacted to it at all; either they could not smell it, or it bothered none of them.

Now the blunette's problem was not that the new scent was bad. No, it was... okay, she figured. But she never smelled anything like it before and had no idea what it meant or where it came from; what was more, the strange scent suddenly changed at times for no apparent reason. Either the world had gone insane... or she did. Once again, the question whether she should talk to Akemi presented itself; the Magical Girl might know something to help her... and at this point, Sayaka was sure something was not right.

Still, she had not forgiven what this Witch did to her; this Kiss might have been convenient at one point or another, but she refused to be happy about it. Someone stole her free will, so even these thoughts of hers might be controlled.

Once this idea was registered by her concious mind, which took a while even after she thought it, the girl almost jumped and ran away; Sayaka barely managed to keep this urge under control and quickly figured that she would probably not be able to even think or act over it. Which meant that no, she was probably not under constant mind-control. Probably. It did not help to make the fear go away and she found herself throwing glances around the room every once in a while, seeking for signs of danger. Of course it was silly, but she could not help herself. Afternoon classes had barely started and here she was, not paying attention at all.

On the other hand, the situation was not completely bad; Sayaka found it quite enjoying to subtly listen in on the rumour mill and watch her classmates interact. Once she knew how to look, the blunette could see that there were a lot of things happening all around her; she just never noticed before, but now they were there. Each girl and each boy was living a life as extensive as hers, all of them being different from each other and with their own ideas, dreams and abilities. It was thrilling to see them go about and she had no idea why something like just watching other people might have seemed boring just a few days ago.

 **. . .**

She had been wary about Miki Sayaka once or twice, but ultimately figured that it was a side effect of Lilly's Kiss. At this point however, Homura realised that she probably made a mistake in not investigating the girl's odd behaviour. It had started with that dream, then the blunette started to flinch more often over the following days... and now she was carefully eyeing anything and everything happening around her. This was no longer the same person she was ten days ago.

But what to do? Talking to her after they were dismissed would probably not end well, seeing that their last conversation had already created a few whispered rumours; Homura did nothing to prevent them, seeing that this timeline would not last anyway. She barely cared for it anymore and decided to stop attending school next week. They had twenty-two days until Walpurgis appeared, so her preparations had to enter their next state; with the initial raids done, the time traveler now needed to widen her arsenal. That would take time, especially the explosives she wanted to prepare herself.

Still, Miki Sayaka was worrisome. Homura would use magic to leave her a note and sort this out as fast as possible.

 **. . .**

She was not sure what it was, but something had changed. Hitomi could not exactly put her finger on it, but Sayaka was not acting as she usually did. Her voice was more tame than usual and she kept it in a leveled tone at all times... and she ducked under unexpected noises, although the lime-haired girl only saw her friend do this once. Something was different about her and she wasted no time pondering; that difference was definitely because of Akemi Yuri, once again.

Doing such evil onto her friends only managed to strengthen the anger boiling deep within Hitomi's heart. She never held a grudge before and tried to resolve any situation without hard feelings for either side; this time however, she found herself losing her calm at times. It was unforgiveable to enchant a human being and take their free will from them. No, she would not let this carry on for any longer than she had to.

Once Kyubey figured out what to do and she had her ideas assessed, they would act.

But for right now, she really needed to follow her teacher's explanations and take notes. The last few assignments did not go as smoothly as usual and her parents would notice if Hitomi's grades dropped. She really did not want to involve them into this mess, especially because they might become targets themselves. After all, something inhuman like these Witches would hardly mind hurting innocent bystanders.

 **. . .**

"Are you ready?"

"I think so..."

Candel was held safely in her arms while holding onto their barrier herself. They found this to be the easiest way of working together, seeing that physical contact was necessary to keep their mental connection going.

They were back around the construction site; it was just far too convenient a place not to use for training and experiments. Now that the Magical Girls were in school, they could finally continue with their barrier as well; Lilly did not want to try working on it while magic was flying around maybe just a few hundred meters away, which it always did when the others had a training session. Most Witches kept their distance from them and would not interefere anyway. It was a general understanding between Witches not to go after another's prey, so no two members of their kin were found close to each other normally. Of course there were exceptions, but some just liked the company; contrary to common belief however, they were not stupid.

Candel told her that when she moved through the city alone, she heard whispers of their fellow Witches. Echoes in their magical signature, be they dead or alive; those echoes held a feeling of Homulilly's aura and maniacal fear. It was the same as a message spreading, telling each and every Witch to flee her presence as fast as they could.

On the one hand, it was a nuisance for Lilly to hunt now; on the other hand however, she was proud to have rallied her race like this. Something like this probably happened very rarely.

The thought was pushed back and she sighed inwardly before giving Candel a reassuring squeeze; they would try to put up their barrier now, seeing that it remained stable under the doll's care... and in all honesty she was thrilled to finally have a home. Mami's place was nice and so had the Akemi-residence been... but nothing was as wonderful as a barrier of her own. Something of their own making, that would be however they wanted it to be.

"Alright. You know the drill."

There was no response, seeing that Candeloro prepared herself mentally. The doll's power gently emanated outwards, as did her own a moment later; thankfully, they had a basic compatibility that allowed their magic to be linked together.

Unfortunately though, Lilly could still not do all that much; she could only advise and direct. Under her careful pushes and calmness, Candel started to manipulate the small sphere in her hands without ever moving. Their minds dove into the depths of its making together, one of them understanding and the other working. Lilly quietly nudged her companion into the right direction and kept her eyes open for problems.

Then the world around them shifted.

 **. . .**

Seen from the outside, Kyubey found this to be a very interesting process; the faint purple and yellow glow the two Witches emanated had mixed together before collapsing into the proto-barrier Mami's Witch was holding. Then it shone in a mixture of both colours before erupting and properly being set up; now there was a barrier around and the Witches vanished out of sight. Their attempt at creating a separate base of operations -which this obviously was- had been successful. However, the Incubator could still sense irregularities with this barrier. It was probably not as properly done as those of other Witches, which might be explained by the fact that their origin was also not normal.

Most intriguing; so they were trying to gain a better footing in Mitakihara, which meant they were probably wanting to stay.

It had to think about that.

 **. . .**

When Candel managed to actually look around, she could only stare while joy exploded in her heart. Lilly probably felt the same, seeing that the doll could feel waves of euphoria emanating from her friend.

They stood on a meadow holding red spider lillies; it spanned only about twenty meters and cut off in yellowish fog, but there was also a table amidst the slightly distorted grass; there were teacups and cakes and...  
"It worked."

The words were very quiet, but she heard them nonetheless. Looking up, Candel found a few tears of joy slide down Lilly's cheeks before the other Witch beamed down on her. "It worked, Candel. We have a barrier."

She could understand her friend's feelings, really. The doll was just as happy. A small "Yes" was her only response before she wrapped her arms around the older one and hugged her. "I'm so happy, Lilly."

Their joy washed around the two eldritch beings, unnoticed by the world.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

So much for making her own decision; Sayaka found a note telling her to meet up with Akemi in her locker. Thankfully, the transfer student had the decency to hide it within her shoes instead of placing it atop of them, which meant that probably no one noticed her receiving it.

However, the fact that it was there was more than enough for her to understand; her constantly observing her surroundings had not gone unnoticed, no matter how subtle she thought she was. The blunette wondered whether she would get away with just ignoring Akemi... but then again, her chances of avoiding a Magical Girl were not good at all; it frightened her to know they could probably find her wherever she went, no place safe from their superhuman abilities and magic.

Silently, Sayaka decided to do what she was asked to, if just to avoid getting on Akemi's bad side; she would have preferred not to go at all...

"Where should we go today?"

Madoka was a gleeful as always, which was at least somewhat calming; as long as her friends did not change all of a sudden, she figured everything was still alright. Hitomi seemed a bit absent-minded, but snapped out of it when their smaller friend asked her question; the lime-haired girl gave it some thought, but whatever her mind produced remained unsaid because Sayaka spoke first: "Um... actually, I have something to take care of today. I don't know how long it will take, though... so you go on ahead and I send you a mail if I get it done early enough."

Now both pink and green turned to her, but both girls nodded understandingly after a moment. Madoka smiled. "Okay. See you later, Sayaka-chan."

Hitomi followed right after, her own lips curled into a smile as well. "Yes, until later, Sayaka-san."

 **. . .**

When their blue-haired friend wandered off, the pinkette sighed and sadly looked to the ground. "I really wonder what happened to her. Even when Sayaka-chan says that everything is fine, I still think something is not."

Of course it was not; their friend was controlled by a Witch, as was Madoka... or was she? Going by her behaviour -and she had never been that good an actor to fake it-, the gentle girl was honestly concerned and did not know what was going on. Hitomi wondered; this meant that either whatever was going on with Sayaka was a coincidence or that Madoka was free from mind-control and had, in fact, no idea something was up.

A flicker of doubt started to gnaw on the lime-haired girl's determination; if the pinkette did not know or maybe even freed herself somehow, would this not make her preparations obsolete? Hitomi knew that others were better suited to fight Witches to begin with, she only decided on not outright rejecting the contract because of her friends...

Somewhere deep inside, she really wanted to believe that everything would right itself even without her interference. Unfortunately however, she was more realistic than that; life was not that nice in real life. If she wanted something, she had to fight for it.

Thus, she found herself leaning over to her pink-haired friend in a conspiratorial manner, whispering: "Maybe we could find out if we follow her."

It was unusual to make this kind of suggestion, but maybe this would give them something to work with; of course it was not the right thing to do, but she could not allow herself to be picky with the threat of Akemi Yuri still looming over them.

"Um... that wouldn't be very nice, though..."

Madoka had her gaze lowered and was apparently thinking about her words, all the while fiddling with her fingers. Hitomi decided to give her the time she needed... and realised that Sayaka was already out of sight. She completely messed up the timing; it might have worked if she went alone or talked about something like this earlier. Sighing inwardly, the lime-haired girl accepted her folly in planning and made a dismissive gesture. "It is fine, Madoka-san; that was inappropriate of me. Shall we get going?"

There was nothing she could do right now anymore, so she might as well try her best to not raise suspicion by pressing the matter.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

It might be a bit far, but Homura was sure to have chosen a good location; the bridge was reachable on a direct route coming from Mitakihara Middle School as well as mostly deserted at this hour. Chances of being seen were small.

It took the other girl a bit more than thirty minutes to reach the place by foot where Homura herself took to the roofs and made it in five. In this case however, she was not in a hurry at all; Madoka was fine even without her supervision and Tomoe Mami could take care of the training well enough. It was probably better to have her take over for a while, to make sure that Momoe Nagisa could get a grasp of how things worked; Homura was trying to be as precise as possible, which might not go well with a newly contracted girl... especially one this young.

For right now however, the time traveler would concentrate on her classmate, who came to stand in front of her with a gaze mixing curiousity and something else. It might be worry, it might be wariness... she was not sure. Whatever the case, Homura nodded in greeting. "Did anything else happen over the last week?"

The blunette scratched her head for a moment and seemed to think intensely about something, so she let her.

"Um... actually", Miki started after a while, "there is something I wanted to ask you about... it's nothing bad, but I just don't get it. Not at all."

When this girl of all people tried to reassure her of something not being bad, it probably was even worse than Homura suspected at first. The blunette had this habit of underestimating danger in her own circumstances quite frequently. Still, she would not show this thought for now and let the regular girl explain what was going on. "I see. Go ahead."

A soft breeze came up and made her hair flutter; the same happened to Miki Sayaka, although the effect was not as visible due to their difference in length. The wind also played with their skirts a bit, but was by far not strong enough to lift them to any dangerous heights. Conflicted blue met calm purple once again while Homura leaned against the railing and let her arms hand loosely. After a moment, the other girl did the same and started talking.

"So... uh... I'm not sure how to say that, but this dream I had last week... it kind of came back every night. That was really weird, you know... I managed to get a bit further each time I had it... and I think I reached the end last night. It should be gone now, but things became a bit weird, to be honest. For one, everything smells differently than before and... well, that's a lot of weird stuff, isn't it?"

In retrospect, she should have told Lilly sooner. While this did not sound dangerous in any way except for the fact that there might actually be something wrong with the blunette's head, it might still be. She could not say for sure... and if it was _not_ Miki Sayaka becoming insane, she could not make anything of it. The mentioning of things smelling differently sounded familiar, but the time traveler was unable to put that into perspective with whatever was going on here. Whatever the case, she really had to tell her sister now; and until Homulilly decided whether the girl was safe, she should also not let her out of sight.

Before she could respond to the blunette however, her phone started ringing and demanded attention; considering that only a handful of people had her number, it was safe to suspect Mami being the one to call. Snapping open the device, Homura found her suspicion confirmed and quickly brought the phone to her ear. "What is it?"

When the other Magical Girl actually called her instead of just waiting until she met up with the others, something happened; there was probably no time for manners right now. Additionally, she could feel Miki leaning closer to listen in; Homura let her, seeing that there were no big secrets they had to keep from the blunette right now. Besides, she figured that her blond senior would have the decency not to openly mention something important over the phone.

"Ah, hello, Homura-san. Is this a bad time?"

"No, but there is no need to call me outside of emergencies. What happened?"

It might sound a bit harsh, but they both knew it to be the truth; there was no need to use the phone when they saw each other half the day anyway, after all. The time traveler already started pondering what might have happened, but nothing particular came to mind. Had it been related to Madoka or someone else being in danger, Mami would not waste time like she did already; did they find out something peculiar about Momoe Nagisa's magical abilities?

"Um... well, there is something here you really need to take a look at. I... guess we found Yuri-san's pet project. They are done."

So it was the barrier. Lilly and Candel actually did it and put one up; apparently, they were successful in doing so. Additionally, her sister would be nearby, which was good; the Witch had to take a look at Miki Sayaka... who gave her a confused look over what she just heard. Homura paid it no mind, though. "I see. Are you at the usual place?"

"About two blocks towards the southern end of town, actually", the blonde noted after a moment. Her description was more than enough for the raven-haired girl to adjust her mental map. "Okay. I will be there in a bit; tell Lilly that I have some work for her to do later."

"Ah, of course. Until later, Homura-san."

"Yes, until later."

 **. . .**

When Mami hung up and snapped her phone shut, she turned around with an almost inaudible sigh before returning into the barrier. It was really weird, as if she was floating through water for a moment; thankfully though, the Witches made the entrance two-way instead of the regular design. Otherwise, they would need to collapse it every time someone wanted to leave.

The Magical Girl landed on a checkered floor featuring purple and yellow tiles, although the combination stung a bit in her eyes; the fact that everything was in the creepily distorted style all barriers had did not help that bad feeling in her gut at all. It was just not _normal_ to enter a Witch's barrier without the intention to kill its inhabitant.

With faint clicking noises, Mami made her way to a door just a few meters away from the swirling vortex she just entered through. It was eerily quiet, which had a shiver run down her spine; there was just nothing here that could produce noise aside from her. No wind to run through this realm, no animals to live in it... of course it was silent. The walls around her were foggy and of a purplish black colour, although she already found out they solidified if anything got close to them.

Pushing open the light wooden door, the blonde was suddenly hit by more sounds and the area widened out into a small dome surrounded by wavering dark; two additional doors led deeper inside on the other side of the room, but the Witches did not let either of them go through there. Right now, both Kyoko and Momoe were sitting on the long table standing amidst this room; the redhead seemed to eat sweets again while the younger girl kept chatting with Candel.

This place was even more weird than the entrance, though; Mami could see the grey tiles covering the area around the table, but everything else was a large meadow covered in red spider lilies. Once again, there were neither walls nor a ceiling, which made it appear as if this meadow was floating in a starless abyss.

At least there were no minions running around; this place gave her goosebumps already.

Shivering, Mami turned to join her fellow Magical Girls at the large table that could easily hold twenty people; it was made of wood and filled with tableware. This was only a guess of hers, but the blonde was rather sure that a person like Yuri would not expect any guests in here... so it was probably added by Candel instead.

"Yo."

Kyoko raised a hand in acknowledgement before returning to her snack while Momoe and the doll turned to Mami completely; her Witch straightened up a bit while maneuvering a teapot around. "Is Homura coming?"

"Yes. She will take a while, though... and... Yuri-san?"

"Yes?"

At this point, the raven-haired Witch appearing right behind her had become fairly normal; still, Mami could not stop herself from flinching slightly, especially because the barrier made her feel weird by itself already. Her mind was still tingling a bit and the others were probably not feeling any better. Of course there was also the question of how the older Witch even heard her, seeing that she was not in the room before.

"Homura-san mentioned there being work for you later on. Do you have any idea what she could mean?"

Yuri frowned for a moment, but dismissed the expression with a shrug. "I have a few ideas and I don't like any of them, so let's wait for what will happen. Candel, we need to expand a bit further in a bit."

"Okay!"

And this was what alienated her just as much about this barrier: ever since she entered it, Yuri had this relaxed, almost carefree attitude... she even smiled! Not smirked or sneered, smiled. The human-shaped Witch seemed to be genuinely happy... which was a good reminder of how different they actually were from the Magical Girls after all. The eldritch beings did not lie when they explained what a barrier meant to them. Candel was even more cheerful than usual as well.

"Can Nagisa watch?"

The child looked at all of them with a hopeful expression, which made Mami wonder why she was so curious about the process; it was not as if any of them could possibly put up a barrier of their own. Candel and Yuri exchanged a glance, followed by the older Witch shrugging. "I don't mind, but don't get too close to us or our work. What about you, Mami, Kyoko?"

This prompted the blonde and redhead look at each other; if she was honest, Mami was curious herself. The same probably went for her former junior, who quietly pocketed some wrapper and got to her feet. "Why not. It's not like we've anything else to do right now."

"Good."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

They were walking towards the construction site... and at the same time, some kind of weird scent became stronger as they went. At one point, Sayaka actually thought she could guess what it was... but it was just smelling a little bad, like... she could not even find a good description. Still, the blunette mentioned it to her classmate, who cast a measuring glance backwards before nodding slightly. "I see. Could you, by any chance, discern where this smell is coming from?"

They did not stop walking, but Sayaka tried to get a feeling for the direction nonetheless. It was not right in front of them, more... towards one of the larger buildings to their right. When she pointed there, Akemi nodded once and kept quiet. It was really irritating, but at least the Magical Girl did not seem to have any hostile intentions. Her Witch might do, though...

Very soon, another scent started to lie over what she sensed earlier; Sayaka's nose felt as if it almost gave out under its intensity, so much that she thought she could feel it pressing onto her mind a bit.

Then Akemi transformed with a gust of air that tickled her skin, but the blunette did not say anything this time around. She tried her best to make sense of all these new sensations and wondered where they might come from. It was not a bad feeling... just a weird one. Were it not for the constantly nagging fear and panic attacks, there would actually be no reason to complain at all.

"We have to get to the roof; climb on my back."

"Huh?"

That was... unexpected, to say the least. Okay, it made sense for the Magical Girl to jump up there, but the staircase should work just... on further notice, ten stories were probably a good reason not to take the stairs. Seeing that this was the construction site, any elevators would probably not work, either. Sayaka sighed and tried her best to fight the light blush creeping on her face. Piggy-backing was something you did with friends or when it was absolutely necessary, not like that... but she did not really have a choice.

When the blunette was safely clinging to her companion's back, she felt even more weird; the body she held onto was warm, which made it even more embarassing. Especially because this was the first time she actually was on the receiving end, Sayaka noted. She carried Madoka when they were children and even Hitomi managed to get herself carried once or twice in the past, but Sayaka never did.

 **. . .**

At least the regular girl was holding on tightly. Losing her mid-jump would be really bad.

On the other hand, this reminded her a bit too much of how she carried Madoka around in the last timeline; those minutes had been both nice and awkward, especially because Homura thought Lilly's life to be on the line.

For what it was worth, this other person holding on to her was obviously not Madoka. Her legs were longer and she was a bit more sturdy than the gentle pinkette. Additionally, Homura could feel Miki Sayaka's chest pressing against her back a little more prominently than Madoka's would.

The cold observations were cut short when the time traveler started to move upwards with quick leaps onto lower roofs nearby. She really wanted all of this sorted out, preferably as fast as possible.


	61. Collapsing Stage II

The change from real world to barrier was different; it felt as if she was pushing through a curtain of water, not just like going through a door. Of course, Sayaka only had her experiences in a single Witch's barrier for reference, but this was probably not normal.

Additionally, her new surroundings making the fear subside to a large extent was not normal, either. The blunette felt a lot more at ease all of a sudden, as if she just returned home. That was more than just a little worrying... and she got the feeling telling Akemi would not help her right now, so she kept quiet.

Eyeing her surroundings with interest, the girl wondered what else might be in here. She only knew that every barrier was weird in its own way. That this one belonged to Akemi Yuri was obvious anyway; there was no other reason for the transfer student to bring her here.

However, Akemi was looking around as well. From what Sayaka could hear earlier, this barrier must be a very recent thing

 _But why... why do I feel better in here?_

That made no sense to her; she was human and the last barrier she went into gave her the creeps several times over. Why was it different in this one?

The Magical Girl was apparently done taking in their surroundings and went towards the one door they could see. Everything else was just foggy and the tiles on the ground led in this direction as well, so this was probably the entrance.

"Do... do barriers usually have a front door like this?"

The last one had not, but one could never know...

"No", Akemi replied while pushing open the wooden door without any effort.

 **. . .**

This barrier was definitely weird. A front door leading into a black dome, said dome holding just a meadow and a large table... a table that had two bags sitting on it. However, there was no sign of the Magical Girls those belonged to. They probably went through the open door on the room's other side.

The blunette walking next to her seemd oddly calm despite being in a barrier; she did not even ask why they went in here to begin with. In fact, Homura got the feeling that Miki Sayaka appeared even more relaxed than she was before. That had to be her imagination, though. No one felt at ease within a barrier except maybe Witches themselves. However, this girl was not one of them; she could not be because she was human and unable to become a Magical Girl.

And even if she somehow managed to form the contract regardless, she would become one more abomination to kill, not a sane Witch like Lilly and Candel were.

Briefly, Homura wondered if they could turn the blunette's fate of dying horribly around by taking her along as well; with her Witch taken out and prepared, the girl might become more stable. Lilly did outright miraculous work with Mami, so maybe it could be repeated... but then again, the time-traveler doubted that her sister forgave Miki Sayaka for the attempted murder yet, or that she ever would forgive her.

Just to make sure, she checked Mami's and Momoe Nagisa's belongings to see whether they left a note, but this was not the case. Therefore, Homura motioned for her companion to follow. "This way."

Wading through a bed of red spider lilies was unusual at best, but she did not pay it much mind. Right now, she was more interested in this barrier and what else her sister built into it.

The walls continued to consist of purplish black fog, although the tiles on the floor gave way to pure purple once they walked through the door. It gave in the slightest bit under her feet and... radiated warmth. It was not particularly hot, which meant that Lilly probably made it so she could run around barefoot without being cold.

The corridor they walked through was more than two meters wide, so her sister paid attention to not making it too small. An opening to their left led into a barely furnished bedroom with a queen-sized bed in its center, which was also empty. However, the corridor ended further down.

"Candel-chan makes it look like she is kneading the room!"

That was Momoe Nagisa, whose voice was carried over easily from the other opening in the wall close to the corridor's end. They had not been noticed because this ground muffled their steps a lot.

"It's not completely accurate... but yes, she _is_ kneading the fabric over there."

That was obviously Lilly, although Homura started to wonder what exactly they were doing over there. The voices grew a bit louder when they closed in on the other group.

"Um... what exactly is this room supposed to become, Yuri-san?"

As normal as this question was, Mami did not get a response; instead, a very familiar head poked around the corner to find Homura and her companion no five meters from it. "Oh. Hey, Onee-chan."

Lilly retreated back into her apparent new construction with the other two following... and revealed a room completely consisting of solidified blackness. There were lumps protruding out of the walls and the ceiling had no regular height yet while some part of the mass further back was smoothed out and pushed aside by yellow ribbons. Candeloro stood by herself and seemed concentrated on forming a proper room out of this alienating mess; the complete and utter blackness in here made even Homura feel a bit uneasy. Going by their expressions, her fellow Magical Girls felt similar in that regard.

"Good afternoon, Homura-san." "Yo." "Ah, hello, Akemi-san."

Except for Candeloro, all of them greeted her properly before turning to the person walking in right after her. Mami seemed a bit surprised, but caught herself with a polite smile while Kyoko just raised an eyebrow. Momoe Nagisa eyed the blunette curiously, reminding Homura that those two had not been introduced to each other... which was probably for the better.

"Oh, good afternoon, Miki-san."

The blonde smiled friendly before going to introduce their youngest ally. However, Homura could not follow it this time around, seeing that Lilly demanded her attention with a telepathic message: _'What exactly happened? I need to know in detail, if you would.'_

Her tone was more business-like than usual; it made sense, seeing that they both knew Homura would not bring this girl around if it was not important. Thus, she summarised her observations and the recent events as best as possible without leaving anything out. She recalled the strange conversation she had with the blunette a week ago as well as her changes in behaviour afterwards. The Magical Girl also noted the precautions she took by double-checking the Kiss on Miki Sayaka and repeated what the girl told her just a few minutes ago. It took a minute or two... and she saw her sister's expression darken with every new revelation.

Maybe she really should have spoken up about this earlier.

Unfortunately, Homura noticed that the others were done talking and had noticed the Akemis throwing glances at each other, so she cut herself short. _"This should be everything you need to know."_

Lilly on her part pinched the bridge of her nose and gently nudged Candel, who had been working undisturbed despite the conversation taking place right behind her. The doll snapped out of whatever trance she was in before and looked up... before gasping and ducking her head. "What happened, Lilly?! Why are you so angry?!"

The human-shaped Witch did not react to that and regarded the halfway formed room for a moment before shaking her head. "I will tell you later. For now... there is something I have to look into, I guess. We get back to finishing this room later, Candel."

 **. . .**

While they all went back to the main hall, Lilly tried to get her raging emotions under control. Fear and anger had a fierce battle for supremacy in her mind, only barely restrained by the will she could muster up to fight them down.

 _"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"_

A whole chain of events took place without her noticing and her sister of all people did not mention it. Mortal World's Witch was aware of the concerned and curious gazes she got from all sides, but this was not the time to react to those. She had to focus on Miki Sayaka and what had happened to her.

And for now, all those curious ears needed to _go away_.

 _'You burdened yourself with a lot already, so I looked into the matter and decided to leave it be for now. You told me I worked too much in past times... but now you're doing the same, Lilly. I'm sorry I didn't assess this correctly, but I assumed she would suffer from just a regular nightmare. Miki Sayaka never brought it up again until today, so I thought it was not important.'_

That made sense; the Witch knew she was probably doing too much, but she wanted to make sure. Even when this timeline failed, she had to gain as much from it as possible; anything less was unforgiveable. On the other hand... if she actually worked so much that even her sister got worried...

Lilly transmitted a mental sigh and rubbed her temples for a moment. _"Okay, you got me there. How about this: we stop babying each other and take a break of two weeks once we're done with this. Does that sound better?"_

Of course neither of them would be doing nothing; they were far too practical to just relax for longer than a short while, but this was as good as they could have it. Asides from that, the Witch felt more trouble brewing already; this might even be a problem she could do nothing against. Homura would feel the consequences of these constant loops, everything she suppressed now would come crashing down on her once it was over. The only ones that could even hope of keeping her steady were Madoka and Lilly.

The prospect of losing her sister hurt. However, she had no time to think about this problem right now.

 _'I agree.'_

That was all Homura replied and she had to sigh inwardly once more. Her sister was probably thinking of something else, at least the flow of emotions coming from her indicated that. Maybe she tried to make sense of what happened with Sayaka, or pondered what to tell Madoka...

There was no point in thinking about that any further now and their disucssion was probably finished as well, especially because they all took their seats now, except for her. Lilly closed the bond, went around to where the blunette was and nodded at her. "I think you know where we will start."

"Yes, yes", Sayaka answered with a sigh and loosened her bowtie. No attempt to argue and no blushing, though. Had she always been that daring? If she remembered correctly, this was not the case.

Kyoko and Mami exchanged glances, although Lilly only saw that from the corner of her eyes; she focussed on the blunette, who emanated a mixture of resignation, curiousity and fear while taking off her sweater and starting on her shirt's buttons. No embarassment there, either.

"Um... why is Miki-san undressing?", Nagisa asked innocently while looking around. The oldest Magical Girls were becoming visibly less comfortable with what was happening, probably because Sayaka was so nonchalant about it. Homura took over answering from them while a full-grown blush crept up Mami's cheeks: "Lilly has to check something her clothes usually conceal. Besides, you two should leave if you are uncomfortable."

The last part was noted with a sideway glance at the other veterans, who looked at each other and rose quietly.

"And take Nagisa and Candel with you, would you?", Lilly added just a moment later, prompting confused gazes from all sides; even the blunette in front of her stopped taking off her shirt and looked up. Mortal World's Witch eyed the younger ones, who took their turn looking at everyone else before getting up as well. ""Okay.""

 **. . .**

Kyoko kept quiet while they left, the doll perched on Nagisa's shoulder, who walked between her and Mami. The blonde was blushing far harder than the redhead did, although there was a faint tinge of pink on her skin as well.

What was with that girl all of a sudden?

"Seriously", Kyoko noted once they had all left the barrier, "this chick gives me the creeps. What kind of person strips in front of so many people without bothering at all?"

Besides, had that one not been embarassed beyond measure just two weeks ago, when Yuri had her do about the same thing?

"It... does not really make sense to me, either", Mami agreed after a moment. Her voice was shaking a little bit over her embarassment, but Kyoko did not feel like teasing her right now. Rather she was glad that someone else thought the same as her. "This is not like Miki-san at all."

Yellow eyes searched their surroundings while Nagisa kept looking from one of them to the other; the girl was rather naive... although she was still ten years old, so that would probably go away given enough time. _If_ she was given enough time; Magical Girls did not tend to live long, after all.

"Whatever, Yuri's gonna tell us what's going on, so how about getting something to eat?"

 **. . .**

It was incredibly bothersome to not be able to see what was going on on her back. Sayaka's anger about where this Witch's Kiss had been put grew with every time she wanted to take a look, only to find herself unable to. Yuri was studying her from behind while Akemi kept her gaze on the Witch; neither of them paid any attention to her in particular, although the blunette would not really care either way.

 _Weird_ , she realised after a moment, _Since when am I that indecent?_

After all, she sat with only her bra and skirt on while sweater and shirt were hung over the chairs to her left and right. Actually, the eerie silence this barrier held right now was quite nice. It reminded her of the false city she wandered through.

"It still looks the same, if a bit brighter than before."

However, the Witch was emanating a strong scent Sayaka could not put at all. It changed slightly with her words, but remained at its intensity; while it was not unpleasant, though, the girl found herself wondering why it did not overwhelm her. It probably should, right?

"Hm?"

Yuri leaned closer and she could feel the eldritch being's breath tickle her skin; Sayaka shivered over the cold air, but tried her best to remain calm and unmoving. However, the fear returned bit by bit and made sitting still not as easy as it should have been.

"What is it, Lilly?"

"Either I'm seeing things, or the flower's colouring just changed from deep red to purple for a few seconds."

A finger faintly traced a spot on her neck and made Sayaka shiver again; going by the look Akemi was giving the two of them, she did not understand what was so important about an observation like this, either. Why would Yuri wonder about a small change in colour?

"Purple is our colour, though."

A sigh from behind preceded the finger's retreat and she relaxed a bit. Until the Witch spoke again, that was: "But a red spider lily is red, it always is. Those on my Kiss should retain its colour... however, you get purple when you mix red and blue, which is her colour."

"So you mean..."

"Nothing yet, this was just an observation. However, it must have some significance and I refuse to believe in a coincidence."

"And what do you think happened?", Sayaka found herself chiming in, much to her surprise. She really did not want to gain those girls' attention... but the blunette liked not knowing what was going on even less. Thus, she slowly turned her head to lock gazes with the Witch that held her mind prisoner... and found a confused stare directed back at her.

"I can't tell. All I can see is that you changed quite heavily... Homura, can you sense anything about her?"

So they had no idea, either. Great...

At this point, Sayaka really wanted to know what had happened to her; she realised the change herself, but did not find it a bad thing at all. After all, the blunette had less trouble staying awake and paying attention in class... and she got the feeling that her memory worked better as well, but that might just be her imagination.

"No, but I didn't check her thoroughly yet. Do you really think there is something magical in her?"

Something magical... in her? Aside from this Kiss, there should be nothing. Or... was there? maybe she was a human born with innate... stop, that was stupid. Sayaka had heard the explanation of how magic was fueled, that one's very soul had to be put on the line. There could be no naturally born Magical Girls. Still, she should ask Kyubey about it just to make sure.

"I don't know. This is incredibly frustrating, but we have to just check in every way we can and hope to find something."

Was that... resignation? But why would it hit those two so hard not to know what happened? Unfortunately, Sayaka knew far too little about either Akemi to tell why the reacted like this. Her initial belief had been for them to be cruel and uncaring... but with how they behaved now, she might have been wrong.

"I see."

Akemi got to her feet and came around to take a closer look at her as well; all the while, Sayaka's fear subsided again and she actually started to feel somewhat comfortable. Of course she was partly undressed and examined by a Magical Girl and a Witch... but all in all, she was safe from harm and might even learn what exactly changed about her. That sounded just fine.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Hitomi let out an exhausted sigh upon putting down her bag. Cram School really was difficult at times, although she could manage. With what was on her mind however, she really wished to have more free time to think; it became more difficult to keep her thoughts away from topics outside of her curriculum as the days went on.

However, today might be the day.

She had been reading material on the topic online and joined discussions on several messageboards, just for the sake of figuring out a strategy that might work. Most sources she found were -of course- thoughts on certain games or anime because 'magic was not real', but cross-referencing with Kyubey gave her data to work with. She also went to watch a few Magical Girl-shows mostly for ideas and discussed those with the feline as well. As it turned out, a great many of those shows and manga originated from people that knew about the actual Magical Girls. However, most of them either got the premise wrong or changed the serious nature on purpose to appeal to children. It made sense to do so, seeing that most adults might not be so thrilled to watch girls in frilly dresses fighting at all.

No, she would not sink into stereotypes and point at the Otaku-subculture. However, it was difficult to stop those thoughts.

The lime-haired girl took off her bowtie and gently put it down on the bed. Now that she was done for the day, she could finally slip into more comfortable clothes and see whether anyone answered her latest messages. Of course quite a few were not taking any of this seriously, but there were a few people answering in earnest and apparently enjoying the discussions quite a bit. She sometimes wondered whether some of them were actual Magical Girls; there were a lot around, so it was quite possible to find one or two on the internet. At least that was what she thought.

Once the middle-schooler had put away her uniform and was now dressed in a long-sleeved shirt with comfortable pants, she turned on her computer and went to get herself a cup of tea. Kyubey would probably arrive in a few minutes as well, seeing that he made it a habit to keep her company as of late. Today, Hitomi would tell him what she was thinking about for so long; by all means, her idea had been sloppy in the beginning. It was good that she took some time to think it through and regard other possibilities.

If this worked and was possible, she would stand a good chance even with these odds.

 **. . .**

"Ugh. Great; just great: nothing worked."

She had Homura try to sense something; Lilly herself felt for magic without finding but an echo of her own power from the Kiss. She looked the girl over and talked a bit more to her, mostly to find out what changed.

"You really have no idea?"

"No", she finally conceded, more to herself than to the blunette. "This makes no sense; if I just knew _why_ all of this happened, I might get some sense out of it... but nothing out of the ordinary happened to you aside from my Kiss, which doesn't do that kind of thing."

Sayaka had changed, there was no doubt about it. Still, it was impossible for Mortal World's Witch to tell where this was going or what was responsible. She did not even have a clue on how to unravel this mystery despite everything important being right in front of her.

In turn, this meant a few sleepless nights for her; Homulilly's mind would not allow her to rest with something like this remaining unsolved.

 **. . .**

Upon returning to her room, Hitomi found her ally already waiting on the table; he also was so kind as to open up the pages she usually visited for her. The girl smiled thankfully and put her steaming cup down on the keyboard's other side before patting Kyubey's head in greeting. "Good afternoon."

 _'Good afternoon, Hitomi. How was school?'_

"Quite pleasant, I would say. However, Madoka-san is starting to grow worried about Sayaka-san as well; are you sure she is under mind-control?"

After all, the pinkette was not acting any different than usual while their blue-haired friend had changed considerably; with Kyubey being her only source on the matter, she needed to make absolutely sure he was right.

 _'I am absolutely sure that she is under someone's influence.'_

It was a somewhat strange wording, but she paid it no mind; he did that at times. "I see."

There were a few new messages, but none of the discussions moved forward all that much; others had school as well, after all. However, there was one private message that stood out. When she started reading, Hitomi's eyes widened a little bit.

 **.**

 _From: BlueMacha_

 _Subject: -_

 _Hey :)_

 _I have not yet spoken up in any of your threads so far, but you are making me a bit_

 _curious. Your thoughts on the matter of magic are certainly interesting._

 _Say, are you in contact with Kyubey?_

 **.**

 _Unbelievable... is this really... could this be a Magical Girl?_

Her earlier thoughts might have been right after all. She was in luck.

"As it seems, someone capable is paying attention to me", the middle-schooler noted after another glance at the message before lookign down at Kyubey. "Do you, by any chance, know who this is?"

The feline raised his head in response and stared at the screen for a few seconds. Then he turned to return her gaze. _'I do. This is a Magical Girl from Tokyo.'_

"I... I see. Thank you."

It was thrilling to finally see things moving. Maybe she could even get someone here to help her out?

 **. . .**

 **.**

 _From: Nurel22_

 _Subject: Re: -_

 _Hello :)_

 _You are quite correct in your assumption. Although I have not yet formed a contract, I will probably do so very soon._

 _Is there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?_

 **.**

Rosy lips curled into a smile and the girl gently pushed her glasses back up. So she had been right after all. It was interesting to find a potential Magical Girl doing research like this; she was obviously looking for ideas to make a good wish.

With her magic, she had followed this Nurel22 into several different messageboards and found quite a few interesting aspects; some of them even beyond what she herself ever thought about. This girl might be a good addition for her clan, if she was living somewhere nearby.

"Did she respond, senpai?"

Brown eyes sparkled friendly when she turned around and nodded at her juniors; all four of them were looking at her, who was the only high-schooler of the group. "Yes, she did. Thank you for telling me about this, Nana-chan."

Their newest member smiled shyly and went back to her homework, just like all the others did at her dismissive expression. Being curious and thoughtful was a good thing, but diligence was just as important. Speaking of which, she had to keep this conversation short for today; their weekly strategy-meeting had to be held this evening.

 **. . .**

 **.**

 _From: BlueMacha_

 _Subject: Re: Re: -_

 _I am afraid I do not have much time at hand right now. There are a few things I need to take_

 _care of later on. I just wanted to see whether you actually were what I suspected. If you want,_

 _I can make some time to discuss magic with you for a while. From the way you write, I imagine_

 _you to be quite a pleasant girl._

 **.**

 **. . .**

The response came quick and made her smile; Kyubey was reading the message as well, but did not comment on it. From what he told her before, it was unusual for Magical Girls to socialise or form groups... so she really was in luck today.

"This does sound promising. However, I wanted to discuss something with you today."

His head perked up over those words and thoughtful green met distant red once again. "I was wondering... is it possible to make a wish for powers that undo another's magic?"

This was what she came up with; something that would allow her to take this mark from her friends and the other Magical Girls... as well as protecting herself from being taken over by Akemi Yuri. If it was possible, Hitomi might have found a wish she could stand for, seeing that she still believed magic to be unnatural; it might be necessary, but it did not belong to humankind. Of course she did not say so to the one who created Magical Girls... and she knew how hypocritical it made her sound, especially when it was likely she would choose to wield magic herself. However, the middle-schooler had decided to do whatever was necessary to save those she cared about; she was committed by now.

 _'That is a really interesting idea, Hitomi. I remember a handful of girls making similar wishes or receiving similar powers from their contracts, so it is definitely possible. Your potential should suffice as well.'_

Which meant that all was said. She had her wish. All that was left... was for her to stay true to her decisions. Enough time had been lost already.

Hitomi took a deep breath. "Alright. Kyubey, please make me a Magical Girl. My wish is for the power to undo any and all magic I encounter."

 **. . .**

Only a stray cat saw the flash of green light out of a certain window; it remained unseen by everyone else. A new Magical Girl was born this moment, one with her mind made up and a plan already in place.


	62. Collapsing Stage III

She had been in this barrier for more than an hour, answering questions by the dozens... but in the end, neither of the Akemis could figure out what exactly happened.

Sayaka was not sure whether she should be glad or disappointed about that. Knowing what was going on seemed like a good thing, but maybe it was something she did not even want to know...

However, for some reason, she got the feeling that those two were actually caring about what happened to her. Why would they, though? She was just this stupid girl that could not be left unsupervised because she would get herself killed, after all... it made no sense for them to care. She was probably just getting the wrong idea from Yuri's interest in her case.

And to top off the chain of unusual events, Hitomi called in sick this morning. It was unheard of for their class representative to miss school, so she must have been hit by whatever illness really hard. Everyone else seemed to think something similar, seeing that uneasy glances wandered to the lime-haired girl's empty seat at least once per subject. Hitomi was well-liked among their classmates for her polite and calm behaviour, after all; it made sense for them to worry, even when her only close friends were Sayaka herself and Madoka.

Suppressing a sigh, she took another bit of rice out of her lunchbox and continued her meal. For some reason, she was really hungry as of late; that started last week as well and she also told Yuri about it. She told her about everything she did different ever since seeing that dream for the first time, just to make sure. Still... wait. Akemi was looking at her.

 **. . .**

When the blunette moved slightly and returned her gaze, Homura wondered; she was not that obvious about observing others and Miki Sayaka was the first to notice her doing so this time around. Neither of them acknowledged the other's look, though; there was nothing to say right now, especially because a small crowd still moved all around her. Mami went to eat with her classmates as usual these last weeks, so the time traveler had to endure; she was not sure what to think about the blonde's recent behaviour. Once this timeline ended, all her progress with the other third-years would become undone; of course she did not know they were to sacrifice this one for the next, but still...

Aside from that, the blunette that sat with Madoka was on her mind rather often as of late. Once they sent her home, Lilly finally told her about the suspicion she had... while pointing out how little sense it made more than once.

Still, it made sense to be suspicious; increased hunger and interest in observing others, an assumedly better memory, panic attacks and constant states of fright... all of those were also characteristics of Homulilly. The most logically sounding explanation was that the Kiss imposed those traits on Miki Sayaka, but this should not have happened. She agreed with her Witch on that point: a Witch's Kiss did not do that kind of thing. It was a means to control the victim's mind, nothing more.

And yet, Miki Sayaka was obviously changing drastically because of _something_. When asked about it, she conceded that she talked with Kyubey, but it did not do anything to her at all. Which meant that the only explanation was the Kiss after all. They scheduled another meeting in the evening to see whether they could find out some more. However, Homura was starting to get worried about the blunette; becoming a Magical Girl and falling into despair was one thing, but this situation might be even worse. What exactly would happen to this one, whom they just wanted to keep _out_ of all of this?

After a moment of consideration, she decided to discard the thought, lest it might stop her from doing what was necessary. Under her gaze however, the inconvenienced girl blinked surprised and pulled out her phone; apparently, she got a message. Only moments later, Madoka next to her had the very same reaction. If it was the two of them, this was probably Shizuki Hitomi telling them something. Going by the looks they exchanged, it was at least unusual. The Magical Girl decided to find out what was going on later; for now, she needed to humour her classmates a bit longer. Thankfully, lunchbreak would end very soon.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Lilly? What's going on with Sayaka?"

"Hm?"

Mortal World's Witch lazily looked up to the table, but did not even move to sit. Lying around in a bed of her own flowers was just so comfortable that she almost understood the Rose Garden Witch. She was relaxed and at ease at last; their barrier remained stable and allowed her to sleep well for the first time ever since she was born. Of course Mortal World's Witch remained pondering the situation, but no one ever said that she could not feel comfortable while doing so. Likewise, Candel was roaming around on the long table, arranging and rearranging the tableware with glee. Still, she seemed to be concerned about the blunette... which was for a good reason, seeing that something was off.

"I'm not sure yet... from what I could gather, my Kiss imposes parts of my character on her. We couldn't determine how many or how deep they go, though. She probably did not get my need for secrecy... not yet at least. If she did, she would not have told us about all of this so freely."

More shuffling from the table, accompanied by a few clinking noises. There was no real need to rearrange everything time and again, but not doing anything meant that they had to go out and keep working. Neither of them wanted to leave the barrier's calm embrace.

"Um... does that mean she grows into another you? Or will it go away when you take off your Kiss?"

"Good question; maybe I should have tried that..."

She was rather unwilling to do so, though; even the slightest chance of Sayaka forming a contract was unacceptable... besides, she was not sure what exactly the girl was up to. She admitted to talking to Kyubey, but there was no harm in doing so. It would probably figure out what was going on very soon anyway. Sadly, all the changes brought forth by both her and Homura would leave more than enough hints, things Lilly probably did not even think of. The times where they could hide away their origins from the Incubator ended when she was born.

"Why don't you like her, Lilly? Sayaka is nice."

Right, the doll had not been around to see her first encounter with this girl. Lilly sighed and rubbed away some of this weird stuff she sometimes found in her eyes, mostly in the morning after waking up, before answering. "Our first meeting... ended not good. To be fair, I did make a rather ominous impression and left her wary, so she did well in being suspicious at first. However... trying to outright murder me later on did so much for my feelings on the matter. Granted, I never liked Miki Sayaka from the beginning; that is mostly because she has this unhealthily high amount of stubborness that lets her refuse help even if the alternative is death or transformation."

Her thoughts on the matter would probably not change; however, having the blunette abide by her will calmed the anger she felt when thinking about the topic of her near death. Aside from that, she had enough time to get over it and move her thoughts onto the future by now.

"Oh... but... you killed me, too. And I forgave you, right? We're friends, right?"

Something softly landed next to her while pushing aside some flowers and cast a shadow over her face; they decided to put the only sources of light into the ceiling, mostly for convenience's sake. Casting a gaze upwards, Lilly saw her companion sit down next to her head and rolled her eyes. "That was different. I didn't do it on purpose and you were resurrected a little later. This girl actually tried to kill me off for good; additionally... I think I forgot to mention that I saved her life just the day before. She wanted to kill me for the sole reason of being a Witch, nothing else. If she had the same mindset now, she would go after you as well... besides, you are far more forgiving than I."

Not to mention that Lilly was still unhappy about having fallen for the trap this girl and Kyubey put together; something like this simply should not happen. She let her guard down and was punished for doing so... but that did not mean she was not allowed to despise the perpetrators for it.

"Hm... you're right, that was really mean of her."

She left it at that and sighed inwardly while closing her eyes. Everything was a mess right now... and on top of that, Kyubey had been suspiciously quiet for a while. Of course it was talking to both Sayaka and Nagisa, but... something was off.

Her senses were tingling.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

They usually always went to visit Hitomi on those few occasions she got too sick to attend school. The well-mannered girl would normally write them that she was alright and they did not need to bother, but they did so anyway. Madoka knew it made their friend happy to see them regardless.

This, however, was the first time they both got a message asking them to pay Hitomi a visit right after school.

Of course it was not a bad thing in general, seeing that their friend might just feel a bit lonely... but they would have dropped by anyway and the other girl knew it. Madoka figured that something important must have happened to make Hitomi send this message. A whispered conversation with Sayaka during P.E. later, she also knew that the blunette thought likewise.

Now, the two of them were on their way, somewhat exhausted and worried.

 _This is so unlike Hitomi-chan... I really wonder what happened._

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

She was still pondering this question when they reached the Shizukis' flat and Sayaka rung the doorbell. Seeing that they came by rather often, one of the other residents on this floor threw them a friendly smile when passing by, to which the two girls bowed in return.

A soft clicking noise alerted them to turn back around, where the door was just opened and revealed their lime-haired friend; Hitomi was clad in one of her favoured nightgowns and looked very healthy overall; no reddened nose or pale skin or anything like that... and when she spoke, Madoka found her voice also not the slightest bit raspy. So what illness might she have caught?

"Ah, Madoka-san, Sayaka-san. Please come in."

She quickly moved aside and motioned for them to enter, which the girls did with a chorus of ""Pardon the intrusion"". The door was closed behind them... and Madoka got the weirdest feeling of something sliding over her skin. It made the pinkette shiver for a moment.

"Neither of my parents is at home right now. This way."

Hitomi lead the way after both her and Sayaka took off their shoes; while the sick girl's back was turned however, the blunette gave Madoka an uneasy look. Was there something making her uncomfortable?

 **. . .**

Something was up. She had no idea what it was or why, but Sayaka knew it in the very moment their friend opened the door. She was not sick, that much was obvious. However, Hitomi had no reasons to hold a meeting with them in secrecy; so why did she do it?

The middle-schooler became more uneasy once she felt something move past her, much like a gust of air... just colder, malevolent even. Madoka starting to shiver a moment later told her that it was not just her imagination. A moment later, the same thing hit her and crept over Sayaka's skin. However, she kept quiet and did her best not to react, although her expression changed a bit; she probably made a face right now, but that would hopefully go unnoticed.

Still, she followed her friend's lead, unwilling to make herself seem suspicious. Besides, Hitomi was a friend; she could trust the girl, could she not?

Those were Sayaka's thoughts as she entered the living room. Some part of her mind wondered why Hitomi did no longer have any scent to speak of, but that was probably unrelated or unimportant. In fact, it was nice to have someone around who did not have such an intense smell. Or maybe Madoka was overshadowing it right now...

 _Wait... was there any smell yesterday? Akemi doesn't have much of a scent, either... Yuri and Candel-chan did, but... hm..._

Weird. All the people that did not smell were Magical Girls. Was that a coincidence, or should she think about it some more?

"I know this kind of behaviour is most unusual for me", Hitomi announced once they were all seated on cushions around the low table, "but please believe me that I have good reasons to do so."

"Then what happened?", Sayaka found herself asking without even waiting for an explanation. Her question made the other fourteen-year-old's expression fall a bit, which alerted her even more.

Then a set of green ropes shot out of nowhere and wound around her arms, binding the blunette in place. She could only shriek in surprise while Madoka gasped in shock. Looking over there, she found that nothing had happened to the gentle girl, which was a relief... but...

"Hey, Hitomi! What are you doing?! And how do you... no wait, I can guess."

This was magic without doubt. Those slightly gleaming ropes were gentle, yet tight; they appeared to be attached to the floor as well. Something like this could not be made with current technology. As if to agree with her statement, the other girl gently placed a bright green gem on the table. "I assumed that you would, Sayaka-san. Please believe me, I do not like to do this to you, but it is for your own good. You see... you might not be aware of it, but a powerful and devious being put your mind under its will."

"Hitomi-chan... that's a... a Soul Gem?"

She did not have time to look over to Madoka, although Sayaka could see her friend in the corner of her eyes; she was not far from a panic attack, which was about how the blunette herself fared as well. She really, really wanted to thrash around and try to free herself... but she was calm enough not to do it. Showing fear had never been something for her to do and exhausting herself for no reason was silly. She might have done the latter, had she not changed over the last week.

As she was now however, Sayaka forced her mind not to overflow with fright and think this through. This might be her chance to get this Witch's Kiss away.

"I know, they told me up-front. Still, why are _you_ a Magical Girl?"

That was what bothered her a bit more than her current situation; neither of them noticed Hitomi's contract at all... and the others would probably have tried to prevent it, had they known. "Don't you know what that means?"

"Oh, I am well aware", the other girl replied with a faint smile before getting to her feet. "It is a price I am willing to pay to protect my friends, though. Would you allow me to see the mark?"

Mark? Probably the Witch's Kiss. Sayaka was actually rather happy to have someone finally taking her side in this after Madoka just went and accepted what happened. At least Hitomi appeared to be on her side. "Sure; it's on my neck, so you need to pull down my collar. Um... what exactly do you want to do with it?"

"Taking it off, obviously", the response came at once while the other girl crouched behind her. This kind of thing had become so usual that Sayaka did not even mind it much. "Although you are surprisingly cooperative, I have to say. Additionally... do you feel any different to before entering, Madoka-san? I was sure you were under mind-control as well, but my cleansing brought back nothing in that regard. On the other hand, the power I used to treat Sayaka-san was not enough to break it already, I am afraid."

"Huh?"

Now that there was only the gentle pinkette in her sight, she focussed on her confused and scared figure to calm those fluttering nerves. The statement irritated Sayaka as well, though. "Um... who told you she was under mind-control? I'm the only one... and really, I want that thing off of me. What do you mean with cleansing?"

Madoka kept opening and closing her mouth without saying anything; she seemed both shocked and in disbelief. Sayaka could understand that, although her own surprise was not as apparent with all the other feelings obscuring her mind.

"Oh, I see. Kyubey must have been wrong about this part, then. Anyway, I wished for the power to undo magic; it is still up to be examined how far this goes, but it should be enough to free you at least."

"B-But... Sayaka-chan was never really controlled..."

Point for the pinkette, although she still wanted this stupid mark gone. Nonetheless, Madoka's statement made the gentle fiddling at her collar seize; Sayaka could imagine their friend giving a surprised look. "What would you mean with that, Madoka-san? There is obviously a Witch's Kiss here; what else should it mean?"

Maybe she should chime in here and set things right. Hitomi was in on everything anyway, so keeping secrets was no longer necessary. The blunette nodded slightly and slowly moved her arms around; those had gotten a bit numb by now. "Yeah, how about we explain everything that happened so far? We kept her in the dark for far too long anyway... and... um... Hitomi? Could you, by any chance, take those ropes away or at least make them a bit less tight?"

"Oh my, of course. I am really sorry about that; had I known that you were not instructed to flee at once, I would not have bound you in the first place."

While the lime-haired girl spoke, the ropes quickly dissipated and allowed her to move her arms again. Her instincts screamed to flee at once, but she ignored them as well as she could. Even if she tried, her friend would just bind her down again.

"And yes, it would be nice to hear your part of the story. Just let me get this done first."

 **. . .**

Madoka wanted to say something; she really wanted to chime in and stop her friend. Yuri had a good reason to do this, right? She even promised to not use her Witch's Kiss for something bad and the pinkette believed her.

But what would they think if she did speak up? Sayaka was no longer showing it, but she still disliked this whole thing... and Hitomi might get the wrong idea entirely. Maybe she could make up an excuse and call one of the other Magical Girls? This was way over her head, so she might as well... but then again, her friend seemed to really think them in danger. Maybe... maybe she should try to learn what happened first.

"Um... Hitomi-chan? W-Why were you thinking we were in danger?"

The lime-haired girl had been studying the revealed mark on Sayaka's neck, but looked up over Madoka's question and smiled reassuringly. That was probably because her voice was so shaky...

"Kyubey told me about it. He was very helpful in working out how to save the two of you. Now that you will be alright in a bit, I can turn my attention to freeing those other Magical Girls as well."

That sounded weird; of course, Madoka did not have many encounters with the little cat-like being and it creeped her out a bit, but why would he tell Hitomi something that was not true? Madoka had never been in any danger and neither had Sayaka. On top of that, none of the other Magical Girls was under any kind of mind-control; she actually asked Homura about that a while ago.

"Uh... but... Witches can't control Magical Girls, Hitomi-chan. Didn't Kyubey tell you that?"

Her friend had been on her way to retrieve the Soul Gem, but stopped and turned her head when she heard this. "Actually, this is the first time I hear of something like this. Could you elaborate?"

"Besides, how do you know?", Sayaka added from the side. Madoka blinked once and started to scratch her head. "Um, you see... I thought that maybe Yuri-chan was controlling Mami-san and Sakura-san, so I asked Homura-chan about it. She... uh... said that it takes really strong magic to control another magical being, like... um... a hundred times as strong at least. And Yuri-chan isn't that strong at all."

Both of her friends kept looking at her as if she said something weird. Madoka really started to wonder... maybe they were surprised that Homura told her so much? Granted, she had a similar reaction when the raven-haired girl just kept talking openly instead of turning her down; it might be that, so she just shrugged with a smile. "She is actually really nice."

"Mhm", Hitomi made and closed her eyes in thought for a moment. "Kyubey?"

 _'Yes?'_

The voice spoke up suddenly, as if he had been here this whole time; looking around, Madoka found the little being on top of a cupboard. He was eyeing them expectantly, although most of his attention seemed to be on the Magical Girl with them. "Is what Madoka-san just said true?"

Those beady, red eyes darted to her for a few seconds, but returned to Hitomi eventually. _'Mostly, although a hundred times is but a rough estimate. There has been no Witch that ever bothered to put a Kiss on a Magical Girl before, so there is no precedent. However, the same result can be reached by simply using a hundred times as much magic as the other side. It is quite unlikely for anyone to have that high reserves, though. In fact, I believe that your anti-magic works on the same principle: you can not dispell another's innate magic unless you overpower it. Seeing that such a course of action might be quite draining, I have to advise you to refrain from it.'_

"I... see. Why is it that you never mentioned the fact before?"

 _'Because you never asked. My explanation was sufficient when given, especially because the chance of a Witch's Kiss being active on either of the other Magical Girls is not zero. It is possible after all.'_

"Ugh, right. They mentioned that you have to pay attention to how he words things."

Sayaka noted this, which gained a nod from Madoka; they both had been told that Kyubey was really good at twisting a statement around with careful wording. Hitomi on her part looked a bit irritated, but got back to walking around after a moment. She now held her Soul Gem and let it engulf her with a gentle, green light. Seeing this however... this reminded the pinkette of something else: her friend had formed the contract and became a Magical Girl. She had sacrificed her soul for this wish of hers... and if unattended, she would die in battle or become a Witch eventually.

The light dissipated before this thought could be continued, revealing Hitomi in a completely different garb; the hem of a deep green dress swished around the other girl's knees, almost fluidly going over to a pair of white kneesocks. Her feet were encased by heavy boots in the very same green her dress had, the latter being covered by a white top with rounded sides. Light green sleeves covered her arms up to the elbows and... she was resting a halberd on the ground. A long weapon, the shaft being longer than either of the girls in this room was tall... also in green and with discreet flower motifs. Glowing faintly, the Soul Gem had taken a round shape while being attached to the lime-haired girl's right shoulder, facing forward.

"Shall we?", the newly dressed Hitomi asked with a smile while making the weapon disappear. She already started to emanate light, as if she was charging a special spell. Madoka read a few Manga on the topic of Magical Girls in the past... and this description was fairly close.

"Sure, go ahead."

She was mostly watching in awe now; the other Magical Girls kept their distance from both her and Sayaka so far, so she did not get to see much about their powers. Bright, green light surged from Hitomi's outstretched hands and enveloped her target; it wavered for a while... and then Sayaka screamed.

 **. . .**

It was still uncomfortable, but she could bear with the nasty feeling Hitomi's magic brought. If it meant getting this Kiss off, she could take it.

Sayaka's opinion changed when the light drilled deeper into her, making every fiber of her back and chest and head burn. A pained outcry was her only reaction, seeing that her muscles clamped up and stopped her from screaming longer than that. Out of reflex, the girl wrapped her arms around her chest and pulled her legs upwards, falling sideways as she did. Hitting the wooden floor did not do much to her, seeing just how much pain was flooding through her already. Sayaka could not see properly anymore, her field of vision a mixture of red shadows and utter darkness. She heard only a loud hissing and every fibre of her upper body felt as if it was on fire.

 **. . .**

It took but a second for Hitomi to realise that something was wrong; the moment she registered her friend's scream, she cut off her magic immediately and quickly made what was left dissipate. Madoka had jumped to her feet as well and the two of them went to crouch next to their friend... whose sight made Hitomi cringe and the pinkette gasp in shock. "Sayaka-chan..."

The girl was lying in a fetal position and whimpered weakly. Blood trickled out of her ears and coloured the surrounding hair into a very ugly colour before tainting her uniform; she was breathing heavily and might start to hyperventilate, so the Magical Girl quickly and gently went to help her. However, she stopped at the sight of Sayaka's neck. The blood caught her attention first, but now Hitomi saw black lines snaking over the pale skin... or were they below? She could not tell. Whatever it was, it was probably not good, though.

"Sayaka-chan? Sayaka-chan, please talk to us!"

Madoka was already trying to unwrap the blunette's arms, but their friend kept hugging herself tightly. "Sayaka-chan, please!"

The gentle girl was crying and had every right to. This was not what Hitomi wanted, not at all; she just wanted to help her friend, not hurt her. Why did this go so wrong?

Before she could start blaming herself however, the girl blinked and turned towards the one being that could answer her question. It was enough if Madoka took care of Sayaka for now; she would concentrate on finding answers.

"What happened here, Kyubey?"

Something about this struck her now; her friend's mentioned that the little feline was good at twisting things around... had she been tricked?

Whatever the case, Kyubey hopped down from his elevated position and walked over to the whimpering Sayaka; there were no changes in her posture or behaviour yet. Looking her over, he tilted his head a bit. _'She seems to be suffering from a few minor internal injuries along the nervous system. From the look of it, this is probably connected to your cleansing of Akemi Yuri's Witch Kiss; I might have miscalculated its growth, though.'_

He swished his tail back and forth as he spoke; once he was finished though, Madoka chimed in in alarm: "B-But she will get better, right?"

 _'This is difficult to say'_ , Kyubey noted with another glance at the hurting girl. _'A situation like this has never happened before; the longest observed Witch's Kiss lasted for fourty-two hours and sixteen minutes, which is not long enough to mutate the underlying human. Add in that a hundred percent of all observed cases end up dead, there was little a way to predict such an outcome. This is highly interesting, though.'_

Hitomi grew colder under this explanation; if all of this was true, she had been far too late... and maybe even scarred her friend for life. How should she ever expect Sayaka to forgive her in that case?

"But... why did you never mention that before?"

 _'Because you never asked. Besides, most of what I just said was merely assumptions and speculations on my part up until now.'_

"H-Hitomi-chan?"

Before she could either break into tears or lose her temper, maybe both, Madoka's voice cut into her clouding mind and made her turn around. The gentle pinkette was openly crying now. "Sayaka-chan is bleeding; we... we need to call an ambulance, please!"

 **. . . .**

 **. . .**

 **. .**

 **.**

Well... some might think that being killed is the worst that could happen to poor Sayaka. I do not think so, as you can see. In great irony, Lilly did something far worse to her now without even meaning to. Could this be called an Innocent Malice?


	63. Collapsing Stage IV

They were in the last minutes of Homura's coordination-routine when her phone rung; this meant that they remained in formation, no matter what happened: Kyoko in the front and Momoe in the center, with both Mami and the raven-haired girl forming a line behind her. One could also call it a triangle around the youngest girl. The advantage of this formation was, by Homura's description, that each of them could react to threats properly, allowing them to change their direction without any need to change places.

They made it a routine to leave their cellphones nearby instead of transforming with them; the problem with the latter was that no one knew where their actual clothes went, so they would probably not be able to hear the devices ringing. If Momoe had to tell her aunt where she was or the hospital called Homura, they needed to actually answer their phones. Mami just went with the flow, to be honest; there was no one who would call her.

Except that today, someone did. The blonde quickly exchanged a glance with her fellow veterans, who nodded at her; then the whole formation changed position on Homura's motion. Momoe in the center turned the way the time traveler pointed at and started to follow Mami instead of her. So now she was team leader; the position always belonged to whomever stood in the front.

They quickly moved over to where the cellphones had been placed, an echo of six more feet following the blonde's every step; once there, she took up her phone and quickly answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Mami-san?"

That was Kaname, although she sounded... a bit odd.

"Kaname-san? How may I help you?"

As she spoke, the Magical Girl turned around to exchange a look with Homura; her partner was already alert.

"I-It is... it is because of Sayaka-chan. She... something happened and we need your help. And Yuri-chan, too... we're at the hospital and... and Sayaka-chan..."

The gentle girl's words were frequently interrupted by hiccups and sobs, which finally tipped Mami off to why she sounded weird: Kaname was crying. The realisation had her calm demeanor snap into place. "I see."

With that, she held a hand over the cellphone and turned to her group. "Homura-san, please go and get Yuri-san with all the speed you can muster. Miki-san seems gravely injured, or at least bad enough for her to be at the hospital. The two of you should go ahead."

"Okay."

The raven-haired girl turned to leave and was gone in a moment. Kyoko and Momoe had been following the exchange quietly up until now and Mami motioned for them to wait a moment longer. Then she returned to the conversation with Kaname: "Homura-san and Yuri-san should be there in a few minutes. Could you wait for them outside?"

"O-Okay... thank you, Mami-san."

"Do not mention it. I will start heading over as well, so until then."

"Y-Yes. Until later."  
They hung up and the blonde quickly dispelled her attire to return her cellphone into its usual pocket. Then she transformed once more. Kyoko was standing next to her by now, with their younger charge keeping some distance. "Okay, so what happened? Miki... was the blue girl right?"

Mami nodded and bit her lip. "I am not sure... but Kaname was already so upset that I did not want to ask many questions."

"Maybe Nagisa can help?", Momoe interjected from her position after snatching her own cellphone and doing the same thing the blonde did just before. Concern was written over her face. "Can we go help her? Miki-san is nice."

So she grew to like the girl as well; of course it was different to Mami, who had already seen her become a Magical Girl and suffer for it... but she wanted to help as well. "I think you can, Momoe-chan. We should get going, I think; it is rather late already, so we have to hurry to make it before visiting hours are over. You... do not mind coming with us, do you, Kyoko?"

The redhead took a moment to raise her eyebrow over the question before snorting. "Nah, I'm fine."

"But... visiting hours during the week are until ten, Mami-san", Momoe noted with a tilted head. "A lot of people work earlier and can't visit their family otherwise."

Oh, that was a bit surprising; she always thought that the times were more limited. On the other hand, it made sense to allow most people from the workforce to get their jobs done before going to the hospital. "I see. Thank you for telling me... nonetheless, we should hurry. You need to get home on time after all."

At first, Mami wanted to note how knowledgeable the younger girl was about this. Then however, she remembered that the reason for this knowledge was not at all pleasant. Therefore, she quickly switched tracks. Momoe nodded and the three took to the roofs; this was faster than taking a bus anyway.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Just what did she do wrong? Where did everything go wrong?

All she wanted was to protect her friends from harm; even with how she thought her life might go, risking it for something like this seemed like a fine course of action. So why, even when she thought about it so much and wondered and worked... why did she accomplish the exact opposite of what she set out to do?

Kyubey omitted some details from his explanations, yes... which only confirmed that she had been a bit too trusting after all. She should have inquired further and tried to get concrete statements, but figured to understand the little feline just fine. As much as she wanted to hate him for what happened, Hitomi was reasonable enough to know; for this, she had only herself to blame.

Once Madoka went outside to wait for Akemi, leaving the small waiting room only the two of them occupied, the last bits of composure left her and the young girl hid her face in her hands. Quiet sobs escaped her throat and something heavy weighed down her stomach; she had trouble breathing properly and tears stained her cheeks very quickly.

 _What have I done?!_

The people in the ambulance had all been shocked over Sayaka's state, but believed them that it just happened for no reason; however, the blunette had been sent into one of the operating rooms as soon as they arrived at the hospital.

 _'Would you like to know what happened to her? The doctors found out a minute or two ago.'_

Kyubey's voice cut into her dark thoughts like a cold knife, making her wonder if it was alright to just shoo him away. Still, she was desperate to learn what exactly she had done, if just to finally get a clear understanding of it. Air caught in Hitomi's throat and the tears stopped when her mind focussed once again. The worst of it was out of her system now, at least she thought so. She needed to focus, concentrate and find a solution. Surely, there was something she could do... and this time, she had to do it right. _"What is it, Kyubey? Tell me, please."_

The Magical Girl slowly wiped the tearstains away and tried to get her appearance back in order; what would Madoka think if she saw her like that? The gentle pinkette was upset enough as it was, she did not need to worry about her as well. Kyubey on his part took the seat next to her and looked up to Hitomi. _'From what they found, most of Sayaka's nervous system is damaged in a way they never saw before. With what we know, I guess the magic in her body was slowly transforming the nerves when your magic cancelled it out. Unfortunately, this left all of it in a state of transition, no longer able to function without the magic supporting it. Not all nerves were affected, either; the brain seems to be alright, as well as all the important organs.'_

Each sentence sent another painful spike through her chest. Hitomi had already suspected something bad, but this sounded horrible; another bout of tears already announced itself with the familiar stinging in her eyes, but she fought it down for the time being. Not now, not yet.

"I see... is there anything we can do?"

 _'Hm... this will be difficult. You see, my own observations showed that this magic changed Sayaka's DNA itself to accomodate for the changes. That was also still in transition, so... in the best case, you could have another Witch's Kiss planted on her to finish the transformation, then use healing magic to bring the nerves back. Sayaka how she was can not be recovered, though; she would be Witch to a certain amount.'_

In other words, she should do what would have happened anyway... which meant that her contract did not change anything.

 _'Of course you have the choice of not doing anything about it as well; considering modern medicine, Sayaka will survive.'_

"Under what conditions would she be alive in that case?", a cold voice chimed into their conversation. Looking up, Hitomi found a purple gaze directed at her... as well as a tearful, pink one. Madoka had returned, with Akemi by her side. There was no sign of a second raven-haired girl, though. Hitomi quickly sat a bit more straight while Kyubey calmly turned his head to her. Maybe she was seeing things, but was there actually a tinge of anger in the transfer student's eyes?

 _'I imagine that the current level of technology would not allow a complete recovery; however, she would be concious and aware... and paralysed from the neck downward.'_

He added the last part over Akemi's inquiring stare, making both Hitomi and Madoka gasp in surprised shock. The stoic girl did not really react to it, though. "I see. Is there anything else you wanted to say? If not, begone."

He just bowed his head slightly and turned to vanish in the shadows. Akemi shook her head before seeking Hitomi's gaze... but she could not bear that right now. She had become a Magical Girl to protect her friends... instead she hurt Sayaka more than anyone else ever had. Even when it was not right and shameful, Hitomi could not stop the tears from spilling out. Her knees wobbled and she was thankful to be sitting already.

"H-Hitomi-chan..."

"It's my fault... all of this is my fault, Madoka-san... I know that, but..."

"It was not."

Akemi noted this with her usual tone, but she was probably just trying to be nice; especially for her of all people, who had the least reason to be kind to her right now... it hurt even more.

There were steps and someone sat down to her left, bringing with them the faint sense of magic. A different sensation came from Hitomi's right, which felt more raw but also even stronger. "You shouldn't blame yourself for being played by Kyubey. It has far more experience in manipulating others than any of us thinks it has at first."

While Akemi spoke, a hand gently touched her back and started rubbing it. Small and soft, but yet reassuring and warm... that was Madoka without doubt. "B-But... I researched and d-double-checked and... and I did so much to make sure... and..."

Her voice was broken by hiccups because Hitomi attempted to at least suppress the sobs; she still did not feel right with having her friend see her like this. However, there was just no way she could hold it all back now, not after learning what she did to Sayaka.

"I see. That is a good thing to do in general..." "The only thing off was your timing, to be honest."

It was the same voice and also was not; looking up, the lime-haired girl found an identical twin of Akemi's standing right before the transfer student. Tears blurred her sight and she quickly wiped them away.

The Witch... she was... also responsible for everything that happened.

"Had you acted a little earlier or a week later, we probably wouldn't have this mess to deal with. Besides, I can't stay for long; only until someone comes to check on you."

"Y-Yuri-chan..."

Madoka probably felt almost as bad as Hitomi did... but there was nothing she could do right now. The eldritch being closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded at them. "To make it short: what you did was stupid, but I agree with Homura on it being unavoidable. I should have paid more attention to you in the first place."

Her words stung, even though they were reassuring in nature. From this raven-haired girl, Hitomi could hear the disappointment clearly.

 **. . .**

Her mind was in tatters right now. Everything collapsed in itself with what happened; Miki Sayaka would not live normally, especially not now that Lilly knew she had been slowly becoming a Witch. This girl was not supposed to become someone like her... therefore, she would not plant another Kiss.

And then there was the screaming.

Miki Sayaka was under anesthetics and her nervous system was mush... but still, the mutation had been going on long enough to allow her one particular change: guided by instinct, the blunette created a mental connection to her parent Witch... and screamed. The agony of what this girl was going through must be enormous... to an extent that Lilly almost felt sorry for what happened.

Almost.

Sighing inwardly, the eldritch being rubbed her temples and tried not to let her own headache show on her face; it was not a good idea to tell those two what exactly had her inconvenienced right now. On the other hand, she could not keep up the connection with her sister like that.

 _"Sorry, Homura... but I need to get away of this place really soon. She's screaming into my head."_

 _'Miki Sayaka has a connection to you?'_

The Magical Girl sounded a bit surprised, which Lilly could understand quite well. _"Yes; it makes sense, considering... ugh, that she was becoming me. Anyway, I'd rather turn this off for now. Maybe it helps."_

Following that, she closed their bond and felt the intensity of the screaming lessen a little bit. Not much, though... and it was still far too loud for comfort. She would not be able to concentrate like this.

"Anyway, I will leave you to work this out of your system for now and take a look at her; besides... Homura, your cellphone. I need to call someone."

Her sister handed the device over and Lilly stopped time. With her surroundings turning monochrome, the noise finally stopped and gave her some peace and quiet. Maybe she really should take a look at Miki Sayaka while she was at it... on the other hand, there was no reason to. The girl's condition was obvious enough.

However, what would she tell Mami? The blonde was still somewhat fragile in regards to her juniors; hearing about what happened might not do her any good. Lilly allowed herself to sigh openly this time, then left the room and went for the exit. Her good mood had been gone before already, but now... the Witch knew she had been had; Kyubey outmaneuvered her once more.

 _I wonder how this will get any worse..._

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

An eldritch presence popped up in their senses halfway towards the hospital; Mami already realised it to be Yuri, but figured that the human-shaped Witch must have her reasons. Kyoko and Momoe seemed to feel it as well, but neither showed signs of slowing down.

"Being unable to hear your cellphone while transformed is really annoying, you know?", Yuri noted from her left with the presence becoming stronger in an instant. She probably moved up here while time was suspended; still, Mami flinched over the unexpected approach... especially in mid-air.

Once they landed, all three Magical Girls stopped and waited for why their companion had appeared; she would have her reasons, as always.

"Okay, what's going on now?", Kyoko asked after a moment.

"Change of plans; the girl is operated on as we speak, so there would be no sense in arriving already. Things might sort out themselves, even."

The older girls were given a look that told them there were things they needed to talk about, though not in front of their youngest member. Red and yellow exchanged a glance before nodding slightly. Mami was anxious to find out what exactly happened... but first, they probably should walk Momoe home.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"E-Excuse me?"

"You're freaking kidding me, right?!"

"Oh no..."

Kyoko, Mami and Candeloro... neither of them was taking the news well. The blonde was shocked to hear about what happened; she had not even known it was possible to turn someone into a Witch through a Witch's Kiss.

Apparently, neither did Yuri... or Candel, for that matter. At this point, Mami herself was mostly concerned about what this might mean, not angry at her companion, though. She understood that it was necessary to keep Miki from contracting.

"I know and I don't like it one bit myself. Neither the fact that the girl mutated, nor that her friend was tricked into a contract."

The human-shaped Witch actually looked unhappy instead of showing her usual calm. Homura next to her wore a more irritated expression and had her gaze cast on the table.

"A-And what now?", she found herself asking shakily. With everything how it was, what could they do? Mami was not stupid, she could see the net Kyubey spun around them; he... it really was their enemy. The Magical Girl needed far too long to understand that, unfortunately; now however, she saw clearly just how much of a manipulator it actually was. "How can we salvage this situation?"

Much to her horror however, the question prompted a shrug from Yuri. Purple eyes darted from her to Kyoko and the Witch massaged her temples once again; she did that a few times already. "I'm out of ideas here, sorry. Unless you accept indiscriminate violence and assassination as a solution... really, we have been had, Mami."

The middle part had her pale a bit, but she was mostly surprised over the confession. Yuri always had a plan so far, even when everything was bad. Did that mean they were finished?

 _No... this is not the case. She would have said it._

"Hm... you're time travelers, right? Can't you just... I don't know, go back two days or something like that?"

Kyoko's question made all of them turn to the redhead, who was eyeing the Akemi's with a curious expression. Now that she mentioned it, something like that might work... on the other hand, neither Homura nor Yuri displayed this kind of ability before. It would have been really nice if that actually worked.

"Nope, we only have a fixed date we can jump to: the sixteenth of March. Otherwise, we can only stop time from flowing... and on that note, Homura", Yuri noted with a glance at her sister, "you should use up some of your sand. I get the feeling we won't make it until Walpurgis anyway."

This made Mami cringe, but the raven-haired Witch already continued before she could say anything. "You should make up your mind, Kyoko: I am strong enough to take one or two more along. Take your time to think it through."

Going by the kind of nod her former junior gave, she would not need to ponder that question for long. It made her a bit glad and unhappy at the same time; after all, she did like the redhead... but she also killed her and still failed on getting this part out. It had to be said, but she was just too much of a coward to mention it. Maybe she would use this night...

Sighing inwardly, Mami decided to think about this as much as she could; maybe there was something Yuri and Homura did not take into account. Maybe there was a way to turn all of this around after all.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When the Magical Girls had left and after night had fallen, it grew quiet in their barrier. Candeloro was hopping through the main room for a while, but did not feel like sleeping yet. She could go into the kitchen and bake something, but it would probably be stale by the time someone came in here again to eat it. Besides, her friend might want her to help out with something, so saving up on magic sounded like a good idea.

In the end, the doll could not help herself; she gently opened the door leading to Homulilly's part of the barrier. Her fellow Witch made the interior a bit more like a human place, but that was probably because of her body. Candel's own place was a brighter meadow with lots of flowers and sunshine, although they had to cut down on its size.

Gently, she walked up to the door leading to the older being's bedroom and opened it. "Lilly? Are you still awake?"

The aura she felt from inside did not seem asleep, but her friend might not appreciate her coming in right now; she went away to think earlier, so maybe that was another Lilly-thing. Just like she had her Candel-things, neither of the Witches bothered the other about those. That was only fair.

"Yes", a calm voice replied from behind the black curtain drawn around Lilly's large bed. They could not just switch off the light in this room or anywhere within their barrier, so they improvised with this. It made seeing her friend a bit difficult, though: Mortal World's Witch remained behind the curtain, although Candel could hear cloth rustling when she saw up. "Did you need something?"

"Um... yes. I wanted to ask... why are you so calm? I mean, you wanted to save everyone, right?"

It did not make much sense. Lilly was almost always calm on the outside, but never on the inside. Now however, the older Witch emanated a serenity she rarely ever had. The barrier alone could not have done that.

"You're right about that. I didn't believe for this timeline to work out, though; too much went wrong in the beginning... or maybe it just didn't go right. Whatever the case, I noticed and made a backup-plan; with that in place, the next one should work out at last."

"Huh..."

She was not sure what to make of that. On the one hand, Candel could never meet all those people they would leave behind... but on the other hand, there were just as many in the next timeline, right?

"Besides, I think you can look forward to it. From how it went so far, we might get more Witches for our little group."

"Oh! Really? New friends? Really, Lilly?!"

That changed everything; now the doll could barely wait for her friends to start everything anew. She would meet new people, new Witches!

 **. . .**

Such enthusiasm. Lilly smiled a little bit and slid back under her covers, her head resting on her arms. Of course she did not mention that it was probably too late anyway.

 **. . .**

Thinking about all of this for a while brought her to the same conclusion she had earlier. They never got to see their friend anyway.

And Hitomi... was so out of it that Madoka could not even be angry with her. The lime-haired girl had no idea what she was doing, so blaming her was out of the question.

Pale light from the moon illuminated her, but she paid not much attention to it or the shadows it drew on the floor. Sleeping was impossible anyway; how could she, when her best friend was hurting?

 _I... I have to make this right._

This was the decision she made. Therefore, a single word left Kaname Madoka's mouth and fled into the night: "Kyubey."

There was a way for her to change everything, make it be fine in the end. That was worth the risk.


	64. Collapsing Stage V

Honestly, she had another reason for being at ease behind her covers. Lilly was hoping for everything to happen before she had to rise, just so she did not need to watch it go to pieces. For as long as there was another timeline waiting for her, she did not mind losing this one. Candel and her could create a barrier together, she had a definitive plan on how to save Madoka... everything was working out, but knowing the gentle girl to die very soon still hurt.

She might be the only human being Homulilly would ever shed tears over. Her sister did not count, seeing that Homura was not exactly human herself.

At least the blankets were soft and felt nice on her skin. She could finally sleep naked again. That was something. Nonetheless, Candel's earlier visit already told her about the younger Witch's worries; Lilly was also worried. She was not sure whether it was her preferred state of mind, but thinking about a problem was probably better than not thinking about a problem and believing it to be absent.

...

 _I really should get some sleep..._

She was starting to think weird things again. But... maybe a little more insanity? No, rather not now; Lilly had to conserve as much magic as possible. Bringing Mami back had been tiring already, doing the same with the blonde and maybe two more Magical Girls could prove to be too much if she was not careful. There was a certain idea on how to do it now that she did it before, but she would probably wake up drenched in sweat and exhausted on the other side... if she woke up at all.

The eldritch being chased this thought away and sighed. She really should not complain, this was what she chose to do. If Lilly actually wanted to turn her life into something of her own making, she could either just finish off Madoka and wander away or end this cycle and take matters into her own hands from there. That sounded good... wait, was she starting to think weird things again?

 **. . .**

Mami was still lying awake. She had been pondering all of this for a while now... and decided that it could not go on like this. Her deeds weighed more heavily with every passing day, the belief of not deserving her current happiness becoming stronger as she went.

After recruiting for Kyubey, making so much trouble for Homura as well as Yuri... and ultimately murdering Kyoko. That was not fair, not at all. The least thing she needed to do was apologise; Homura already forgave her and Yuri seemed to do the same, so maybe... maybe she could rest a bit easier once this was done.

With that in mind, the blonde rose from her covers and tried her best not to wake the peacefully sleeping girl right next to the bed. There was only one of them now, just like her own Witch was no longer there to hug her. For some reason, Mami missed the hugs she had been given. Candel was actually a really gentle and soothing being.

Sneaking around Homura, she gently pried open the door and went into the living room; Kyoko was also fast asleep... but this had to be done and she would probably lose her resolve again. Therefore, Mami sat down next to the sleeping girl and reached out for her; now that she could see her without the usual scowl or smirk, Kyoko actually looked quite pretty. Her features were more hardened than Mami's own, but that was probably the rough year she went through. If she would actually have a polite smile and wore a dress, she might be positively stunning.

"Kyoko? Please wake up."

She gently shook the slightly younger girl, although Mami was well aware that this might result in her getting punched; Kyoko probably had a few weird reflexes that she needed to get around in life, at least according to some shows the blonde entertained herself with at times. Thankfully though, no such thing happened right now; the redhead's eyelids fluttered after a few moments, sliding open and revealing unfocussed eyes staring up at her. "Huh?"

After a few seconds of blinking against the pale light shining into the living room, the blonde carefully kept her hand on Kyoko's shoulder while looking down on her. At least she woke up rather quickly.

"M'mi? What... what's going on?"

It was mostly a murmuring, but she could understand well enough. Kyoko had this tendency to be a bit groggy right after waking up, so she should give her some time. "Nothing bad happened, but I need to talk to you."

This prompted a grumble followed by a low growl, but the other Magical Girl sat up at least; she was obviously not happy and Mami did not expect her to be. "Can't that wait?"

"I am afraid not", the blonde responded, hard-pressed to stop her expression from turning into anything defnitive. Just how did Homura manage to stay this calm all the time? "There is something I need to tell you."

Kyoko grumbled some more and rubbed her eyes, red light dimly illuminating the whole scene when her Soul Gem was released from the blanket. The blonde left hers on the nightstand where it usually stayed for the night, but now there were deep shadows over both her and the redhead's face. "Okay, fine. But it better be important."

The guilt was still weighing on her, but she felt as if she could do it now. It was heavy and difficult to phrase, but determination welled up to steady her torn mind. Mami was sure now, that even when everything might end soon, she would at least go into the next timeline with her mind clean of that burden. If Kyoko forgave her, that was.

"It is, at least to me. You see, I... could not speak about it so far, but you deserve to know this. About what happened last time, when we were facing Walpurgis."

Now the other girl straightened her back a bit and might probably start to become actually attentive. However, Mami quickly carried on; she feared her voice might break if she did not get it out now.

"Um... you see, it was the four of us; Yuri-san, Homura-san, you and I. But the battle did not go well, we hardly managed to scratch the Witch. It was just the two of us after a while, with Homura-san and Yuri-san being somewhere else. We were fighting the minions it sent for us, but..."

Talking about it brought it all back; the dark sky and the faint colours in the distance, the shadowy minions' mad giggling. And this ray of pink light.

"But Kaname-san was there as well. She just made her contract and... became a Witch right in front of us."

The mental image of a towering black mass emerging from such a gentle girl made Mami shiver and hug herself. Her voice was already breaking, just as she had feared, but she had to carry on. "There was nothing either of us could do... and I had not known before and... I guess I snapped there."

Even now, she was trying to find a less blunt way of saying it and failed. Kyoko had not sayed anything so far; the redhead remained quiet now as well, although she was obviously listening. If she just said anything, it might be easier... but she did not.

"Kyubey had been talking to me before as well, making this... this sudden understanding what will happen to all of us... I really thought my life was breaking into pieces around me. And I thought... that if we really were to end up as Witches anyway... that all of us should die before that happened. So..."

"So you killed me?"

The words got stuck in her throat over Kyoko's calm voice and Mami could only nod in defeat. She was not proud of what happened there, she really wanted to make it up somehow... but how did one apologise properly to the person they murdered?

"I... I am so sorry... I could not stop thinking about this ever since and..."

The blonde stopped once more, a hiccup forcing her to become quiet; her vision became fuzzy from the tears she had tried ot hold in. There was no way she would just be forgiven, that much was obvious... but she was afraid of losing a friend because of this. If Kyoko decided she could not trust her after all...

"Goodness gracious, Mami", the other Magical Girl let out; she rubbed her temples while the blonde looked at her fearfully. "I've been wondering what kept you on edge all the time, y'know? Should have figured it wasn't just the time travelling."

The redhead paused for a moment and seemed to consider while she was waiting for the final judgement. Or maybe indignation or something that was not just calm, really. Kyoko not being snarky and hotheaded was even worse than her usual blunt behaviour.

"So? What happened afterwards? Did Yuri show up and save the day?"

Confronted with that question, Mami had to take a moment to recall; her memories mostly played back only to the point where everything became a certain haze. Steeling herself, the blonde went to speak some more.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

She honestly had no idea what to say to all of that; Kyoko really just wanted some more time to think. She only listened halfheartedly to her former mentor's explanations.

On the one hand, the redhead really wanted to freak out; Mami _killed_ her!

On the other hand, this had not been _her_ because she was still alive. It was weird altogether to even think about the whole thing; Kyoko had no memories of what happened previously, neither did she miraculously remember something over the blonde's words. There was nothing even vaguely familiar, so it could have easily been someone else they were talking about. Was there really any sense in getting worked up over this, especially when it bothered Mami so obviously? The other girl had been a bit timid ever since they met again, so she was probably suffering from her guilt.

 _But... who says she won't do it again?_

The other Magical Girl just admitted to having lost control before; therefore, it was safe to believe this to happen again sometime in the future. However, Yuri was keeping an eye on her constantly and from what Mami said, the Witch was good at what she did. Stupid thought, of course Yuri was good; there was no need to trust the blonde's words when Kyoko knew this much herself.

"And... then we leaped back in time", said Magical Girl finished her tale. It had been far too short for her to get done pondering, though. The redhead sighed and decided to just do the usual: speak her mind.

"Okay. Y'know, Mami... I'm not sure if I should be angry or something... but seriously, I can't really be angry with you. I've got no memories of anything you said after all. Of course I don't like it, but it feels more like... like all that happened to someone else. So just promise to not shoot me and we're good."

That was about right. Maybe she was a bit too open right there, but it was in the middle of night and Mami had been honest with her as well. Kyoko sighed inwardly over seeing the other girl starting to glow in joy... no, it was really just the light from her Soul Gem making the blonde appear to glow. However, the joy was real and probably overflowing. As were the tears...

Yes, this polite and strong girl she had once looked up to started to weep and hid her face in her hands. The redhead really hoped those to be tears of joy and not the other kind... because the former could at least be explained.

"Oh, thank you, Kyoko... I was so worried what you would say and... and it is just such a relief... I am really sorry, but..."  
 _Oh, to hell with it._

She had been so far besides herself this night anyway, why not go overboard and insist on not remembering anything afterwards?

Her decision made, Kyoko leaned over and gently petted the blonde's head, who sniffled in surprise and peeked through her fingers. "Huh?"

However, she just shook her own head and continued what she was doing; everyone needed some comfort once in a while, although it was hard for Kyoko to admit. Spending some time with Candeloro a few weeks ago had been very good for her, so maybe she should try to help someone else out. Besides, Mami's hair was soft and nice to pet.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When Sayaka woke up, she was in a bed that was not her own.

 _Ugh... where am I?_

The last thing she could remember was just a whirlwind of pain, which made her wince even now. What happened before? Did someone attack her? Maybe a Witch?

 _Wait... Witch..._

There was something with Witches... ah, yes, Yuri. But she was not like the other eldritch creatures and even an okay person. Sayaka did not like her at first, but recently found her to be rather caring after all. The curiousity towards her condition might have played into the whole thing, though. Right, her condition...

Now that the blunette had had some time to get used to her surroundings, she felt a weird sense of deja vu; this was, in fact, a room she knew rather well. However, she usually just visited instead of being the patient. Now however, she herself was confined to the bed and could see the morning rush from her window. Yes, she was at the hospital.

"Oh, my... you're awake!"

The surprised voice made Sayaka turn her head; she found one of the nurses standing in the doorframe, obviously surprised. Just what in the world happened?

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Upon discovering that the blunette was concious, a lot of people came by. First a doctor examined her and was visibly shocked to find her completely fine, then many others asked her all kinds of questions... most of them were about whether she had been feeling unwell or weird over the last few weeks, the rest about what she had been doing before collapsing.

Strangely, Sayaka did not really remember anything from directly before this whirlwind of pain. Her concious memories stopped with standing before the Shizukis' flat.

Then they led her mother inside and the blunette found herself in a bearhug like she never received before. Shaking hands stroked her back and head and made the girl feel somewhat weird, as if she missed some great tragedy.

"Oh, Sayaka! It's a miracle, you're alright!"

She let her mother be and wondered what was going on. How bad had it been and what exactly happened?

"Um... could you tell me what was going on? I have no idea, actually..."

She was talking to the nurse who found her earlier, the only person currently with them. The older blunette holding her was not in any condition to talk right now, so Sayaka just held on to her in return while she asked. The nurse on her part made an honest effort not to look her in the eyes. "Um... we're not sure ourselves, Miki-chan; you should probably wait for the doctor to explain it, though. Uh... I... I will take a quick look at the medical reports."

Which was obviously just an excuse to leave them alone, but that was alright; in fact, Sayaka was quite grateful for it. She had been wondering why she felt so weird for a while now; even when her mother still clung to her, she needed time to think. That... that was okay, right?

 _Okay... something is different now. But what?_

Strangely enough, the girl felt as if something was amiss; as if she lost a part of herself from then to now. It was hard to put, though; she had no indicators to what she missed or where it had been. She just felt at ease and a lot less pressured. Unfortunately, nothing indicated where this pressure had come from, either.

"Thank the heavens", her mother finally stated while holding Sayaka on an arm's length and smiling joyfully. "I was so afraid when I heard you were at the hospital; you're my everything, Sayaka. I can't put in words just how glad I am to see you well."

That was it. Fear.

"Oh, you know how it is, Mom; I don't go down that easily", she found herself joking with a smile; however, the blunette's heart was not in this comment. She just realised that those crushing waves of fear she had been dealing with this last week were gone. They did not just retreat back into some deeper part of her mind, they were really gone. All the effort she made to keep the fright down was no longer necessary now. Her sense of smell was also back to normal; the light perfume her mother used was very distinctive.

She was back to normal.

"Sayaka-chan!"

Both of them looked up over the familiar voice; Madoka stood in the doorframe with a happy smile plastered over her face. Was it this late already? Those examinations must have really eaten up her day. The blunette raised a hand in greeting and returned the smile. "Hey there."

Her mother smiled as well and got to her feet again. "Good afternoon, Madoka-chan." "Ah, hello, Miki-san. Um... should I come back later?"

She had just noticed that they were still hugging each other, but the older Miki just waved it off and let go. "It's fine, dear. I have to speak with the doctor anyway."

Following that, they were left alone; the pinkette gingerly took a seat by her side, although she never stopped smiling. Sayaka was rather sure to see some sheepishness in her appearance, but had no real idea where it could come from. She just scratched the back of her head with a quiet giggle and leaned back. "So... um... mind telling me what happened? I kind of don't remember what happened at Hitomi's place."

Her question made Madoka's face fall, but the other girl nodded and looked at her fingers instead of Sayaka. Looking down as well, the blunette wondered since when she was wearing a ring. "You know... um... it seems as if Kyubey was talking to Hitomi-chan for a while now... and... she was really worried about us because she thought we were both mind-controlled. And she formed a contract..." "Wait, really? Hitomi did?"

This was news to her; however, Sayaka was not feeling well knowing that one of her friends gave away her soul for a wish; of course she might have done the same, but that was different. Madoka just nodded.

"Uh... yes. She... she wished for the power to undo magic... and when she used in on you, you just collapsed."

Oh. So that was what happened; whatever had happened to her, Hitomi dispelled it and Sayaka fainted for some reason. But how did this pain she remembered play into the whole thing? And what was about this ring Madoka carried? It was of a plain black with a small pink gem on top, sitting perfectly on the smaller girl's middle finger. Quite similar to Akemi's...

"Madoka?"

"Uh... yes?"

Sayaka did not like this. Pieces of this puzzle she found herself with started to move; her friend just mentioned she collapsed, the blunette had woken up in the hospital and everyone was astonished by her waking up at all. On top of that, Madoka suddenly wore a ring so similar to those she saw Magical Girls wearing... no, she did not like where this was going.

"What's with that ring you have there?"

 **. . .**

It was over now; Homura could tell.

Both Madoka and Shizuki Hitomi had entered class as Magical Girls. The time traveler acted as if she did not notice, but she already understood what this meant. Lilly probably knew it as well, which meant that she might have let it happen.

It was wrong, wrong on so many levels... but they made their choice; this would be the last timeline they failed, but they had already known for it to be a failure. Homura would trust her sister on this and wait for what might happen next. Only once more and this would be over... but was it the right choice to put all her hope into this? If it failed, all her efforts would have been in vain; but then again, the Magical Girl had grown tired. All her constant repeats and failures were adding up into a weight she was not sure she could carry much longer. So... once more, with everything she had. That sounded good; maybe it would be enough.

 **. . .**

"Any idea why Homura looks so distracted?", Kyoko could not help herself from asking. Both her and Mami were sitting at the blonde's low table while the raven-haired girl took a seat on the couch today. The response the redhead was given was a shrug, though. "I am not sure, but there might be trouble. Besides... as much as I dislike bringing it up, did you think about Yuri-san's words?"

Ah, right... in fact, Kyoko did think about what the human-shaped Witch told her in particular, whether she wanted to go with the others. Going back in time, trying to make a difference... she had gone to sleep without reaching a decision yet, though. Sadly, neither the Magical Girl nor her eldritch counterpart could bring her back far enough to undo her own great mistakes.

However, doing something good for a change sounded... nice.

"I'm still thinking about it", the redhead decided to answer at last.

 **. . .**

"You... you what?"

Madoka had explained herself and stopped looking at her altogether; now the pinkette looked up though, only to find her friend flabbergasted. This was... not really how she expected this conversation to go, but she could not help herself; being well aware of what it meant to form a contract with Kyubey, she did it anyway. For the blunette to be surprised like this was understandable.

After all, Madoka would never be able to forgive herself if she just left her childhood friend to her fate; not when she could make a difference. Yuri and Homura were probably not happy with that, but she found it the right thing to do.

"I know what you think, but I couldn't just sit by... they... they said you would never get healthy again..."

"Ugh..."

Had the other girl not already been resting her head, Madoka knew, she would have slumped back down now. Sayaka was like that and it was wonderful to see her back to how she was. Kyubey really fulfilled the pinkette's wish.

"You know... I... I'd actually rather be angry with you, but I can see where you're coming from. I would have done the same after all, had it been you instead of me. Thanks, Madoka."

They exchanged smiles and the Magical Girl gently shook her head. "Don't mention it. Although... ehehe, I think I should go and tell Homura-chan and everyone else..."

This would probably be a really awkward conversation to be had, but she could not help it. Madoka made her decision, so now she had to stay true to it and help out wherever she could.

 **. . .**

 _What have I done?_

It was not the first time she asked herself that over the last twenty-four hours... and it was probably not the last, either. Hitomi's mind was swimming in a sea of cotton, dulled and barely able to keep her working; the guilt over what she accidentally did to one of her friends even started to settle down, only for her to find that her other important friend... sacrificed her own happiness to fix this mistake. Madoka formed a contract and became a Magical Girl as well, subjected herself to fight Witches just to right what Hitomi wronged.

Thus, this was once again her fault.

 _Dear god... I just wanted to help and destroyed their lifes instead..._

The gentle pinkette seemed not at all unhappy at this point, but it was probably just a matter of time. What could she still do now? Akemi Yuri was not a threat and even gave her a brief explanation on what reason the Witch's Kiss on Sayaka actually had; it only made things worse when Hitomi heard that. To protect the blunette from being tricked into a contract... exactly what she let happen to herself.

 _'You look unhappy, Hitomi.'_

And there he was, probably to make her life even more miserable. Tired green met calm red and the girl merely ignored Kyubey right afterwards. She wandered further into her room and slumped down on the bed.

 _'You seemed quite upset about not being told all the details... so... would you allow me to correct that and fill you in?'_

 _Huh?_

Was he actually trying to apologise with that? Or maybe he just wanted to set things straight... on the other hand, getting the whole story might be a good thing; Hitomi could go and try to help starting tomorrow, which was the least she wanted to do. With everything that happened so far, it was unacceptable to just stand down or run away from the responsibility.

"Yes, please do."

 **. . .**

 **.**

 _From: Nurel22_

 _Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:-_

 _I am very sorry it took me so long to reply; there were a few things that demanded my attention._

 _Unfortunately, I have to decline meeting up for now, though. As much as I am honoured that you_

 _are willing to spend time with me, my own schedule does not allow this kind of thing._

 _Please forgive me for that, Macha-san. However... I will probably be able to have some time_

 _during Golden Week; would this be fine with you?_

 **.**

She had been excited to hear that this nice girl formed her contract; and for such a well-thought wish to boot. Now however, the high-schooler had to sigh. She should have expected this to not be this easy. Nurel sounded like someone she would have really liked to have around just in case something happened to her; Magical Girls were short-lived and she almost died more than once already. Still, four and a half months were a good time; her predecessor only managed three before falling against one of the abominations.

 _Golden Week, huh? Who knows if we are still alive in a month?_

It was not a full month, but close enough to not be optimistic. Kyubey had long since provided her with the statistics; more than fifty percent of the contracted girls did not even last two weeks. Nonetheless, hoping for the best might not be all that wrong, either. A full group of six, all of them thought- and careful, might actually be enough to make another month possible. And this girl was indeed promising.

Still, it was probably time to decide on her successor and wait for what would happen next.


	65. Collapsing Stage VI

_It happened far sooner than I thought it would. We can't do anything about it at this point, though._

Once again, Homulilly found herself sitting on a rooftop; this time however, it was not just any building but the one her barrier's entrance rested on. She had trouble sleeping the last night and remained anxious ever since. Her mind was trying to comprehend and failed utterly. The last time it happened was because she made mistakes and could not change anything about it... no, that was also a lie.

Sadly, Homura was the only one who could ignore this away; her sole focus on Madoka's wellbeing was a blessing in that regard. She did not need to ask herself how many worlds were already devoured by Kriemhild Gretchen in the past. She did not need to wonder if this was the right thing.

Lilly knew she should not think about it; she was aware that it would only make her consider killing Madoka before it could happen. However, she was Mortal World's Witch. Were it not for the feelings she inherited from her counterpart, her first concious act might have been to end the life of Kaname Madoka. Walpurgis would destroy only a city and move on; Gretchen would annihilate all human life and make the reason for Lilly's own existence obsolete.

A soft breeze caressed the human-shaped Witch as she gazed over the construction site. Noon was long past and the sun started to set; sighing, she looked down at the Grief Seed in her hand. An unknown so far, although some of the names were getting fuzzy in her mind; Lilly killed so many already... and sadly, she would probably not get to see Elsa Maria again this time. Humankind would die before the Shadow Witch emerged. It was the one eldritch being she actually wanted to meet, for she had been the only one to not attack and be friendly instead. It was probably a too human emotion to feel bad about killing her last time... but Lilly could not help it. Now however, with so much time to think... she wondered what might have been if she did not do it.

"Aren't you hungry? You ate the other three already, didn't you?"

Candel was quiet so far and let her think, which Mortal World's Witch was grateful for. The doll's voice made her look up, then down at the Grief Seed. She was feeling a bit weird, but not full; all those heavy thoughts would probably spoil the taste, though; now that Lilly started thinking...

 _'Might the reason be that this Witch was once Shizuki Hitomi?'_ , another voice chimed in and startled Candeloro, but the older Witch did not even turn her head. This situation was oddly familiar; it was the same as last time.

"No; I never held much thought for single human lives aside from Madoka. Besides, my compliment on hiding Shizuki's involvement from us; it must have been a lot of work to get her to even listen, right?"

As much as she disliked it, she had been defeated this time around; Kyubey expertly used the one asset she never thought it would be able to use. A short glance revealed that the Incubator sat down next to her, obviously unconcerned about the presence of two Witches. However, Candel was now hiding on her other side.

 _'It was indeed far more work than I usually would put into a girl of slightly above average potential. However, the fact that Madoka formed her contract because of this work makes more than up for it. I am actually a bit surprised that you are so calm about this whole situation.'_

Candel continued to shiver and press against her hip, but Lilly paid her no mind for now. The doll would stay there for the time being, anyway. "I can tell that my own mistakes led to this whole mess; I was right in putting Miki Sayaka under my Kiss, though. Had I not, it would have been her instead of Shizuki to form the contract. Besides, I was not even sure it was her."

With the last statement, Lilly held up the Grief Seed of Anna, the Lost Witch. Kyubey nodded after a moment and continued swishing its tail. _'It is her. However, I am wondering what you will do now; Madoka's Witch will depopulate Earth within ten days once she emerges, after all.'_

Yes. Kriemhild Gretchen would destroy humankind yet again; the thought of this absolute genocide made her feel strange, as if she really did not want it to happen. She had too many other problems in the last timeline, not enough time to actually think about what were to happen afterwards... however, this time she could. After feeling this incredibly dense air of power, of certainty and concern, Lilly was afraid of encountering it again... and also strangely thrilled. She never cared for individual people, only for the race as a whole. It was her wish to watch them for as long as she could, so she had to make an effort in protecting them.

Sometimes, the eldritch being wondered why she had been born with the love for Madoka so firmly in place. Would this story not have been far shorter if she had not? Of course, life could never be this easy.

"Good question; I'm still thinking about what to do."

Of course that was a lie, but it did not need to know that.

 _'I see. You are more understanding than I expected, though; there are only very few exceptions among humankind to those condemning us Incubators when they learn about our work.'_

So it thought that her being open for conversation was a sign of understanding and not condemnation? How could a Witch condemn the very process that brought her into existence, anyway? Of course she did not condemn it; however, she did not accept Kyubey's reasoning and outright hated it for sacrificing the world as a whole. Still, that was no reason to drive it away just yet.

"Keep in mind that I'm not human, would you? Just because I don't come at you screaming and crying doesn't mean I am not justifiably angry. Was there anything you wanted?"

The creature kept its quiet for a moment and stared down at Mitakihara. Lilly let it be in favour of patting Candel's price-tag; the doll slowly relaxed, but would still not let go of her arm.

 _'I had no exact reason to visit you; seeing that my assignment on Earth will end within the next two weeks, I was mostly curious about the course of action you want to choose.'_

Strangely though, Kyubey had not yet mentioned the time-travelling; Lilly smiled over this part being left out, which obviously meant that it was not yet uncovered. Kyubey may talk like that all the time, but even the Incubator was not omnipotent. Next time, she would keep an eye on Shizuki as well.

With all this decided, the human-shaped Witch started to break away the black metal in her hand; it was quickly chewed into tiny pieces with audible crunching noises.

"Just be patient and you will see. Trust me, Kyubey: you are in for a surprise."

With that said, Lilly flicked the Seed's core into her mouth and bit down on it.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Talking to Sayaka took up more of her time than she expected, so it was almost night when Madoka finally got on her way; she needed to talk to Mami and Homura today to get this situation sorted out. In fact, the pinkette felt quite content and way better than the whole last week; everything turned out alright, even though Hitomi and her were Magical Girls now. Sayaka was safe and back to how she had always been. The only thing left to do was for all the Magical Girls to join hands and surely everything would be fine.

Of course there was this teeny, tiny problem of her becoming a Witch when her Soul Gem was tainted too much, but Madoka was confident that they could find a way around this. It was definitely possible when they helped each other.

 _Mami-san and Homura-chan are nice people; Sakura-san is, too. I'm sure it will be- 'Do you have a moment, Madoka?'_

With her train of thought interrupted, the girl slowed down and turned her gaze towards Kyubey; the feline sat on a nearby fence and eyed her in return, although his eyes seemed to glow a bit in the dark. She had mixed feelings towards him at the moment due to how he tricked Hitomi, but could not yet bring herself to resent him like the other Magical Girls did.

"Oh... um... of course."

Madoka turned and made her way over to him, the lack of people around her suddenly being a good thing; no one would see her talking to a fence. "Do you need something?"

She already figured that he probably did not, but one could never know; besides, being polite was generally the best approach in her opinion. Kyubey on his part tilted his head slightly before continuing. _'Not exactly. However, I think you should know that your friend Hitomi fell into despair a few hours ago.'_

The statement took a few seconds to register and Madoka found herself uttering a blank "huh?" at it; her mind openly rejected what Kyubey just said... or rather implied. Hitomi was not dead, she could not be; everything was turning out fine, she just thought about it!

 _'She did not take well to learning the truth about Magical Girls; that once their Soul Gems are exhausted, they turn into Witches.'_

Madoka's hands snaked up in front of her mouth to stop her from gaping in shock; still, the revelation started to seep into her mind with a coldness she never felt before. Seeing Sayaka in pain had hurt... but now one of her friends was dead? How could she not have noticed?

"N-No way... you... you're lying..."

Even though Kyubey had a reputation for always telling the truth, this was the only thing she could still utter; it could not be, not after everything turned out so well...

 _'Unfortunately, I am not. Hitomi fell and turned into a Witch; you may ask Akemi Yuri about it, seeing that she has already killed her off.'_

It was just like another hit to her stomach; Madoka's knees gave in and she sat down on the ground, looking up at the wraith-like feline with wide eyes. A darker shade layered itself over her mind's eye and field of vision. "But... but why? Why did this have to happen? Why did you do this to us, Kyubey?!"

Even with everything she did, it had been for naught... this could not be right, it must not. And yet... and yet, there was no need to lie about this kind of thing, was there? Hitomi did not respond to her call earlier that day and her messages were ignored as well; something like that never happened before. Still, surely there was another explanation...

 _No, there is none_ , a small voice stated from deep within her mind.

 _'Please keep in mind that both you and Hitomi have formed the contract with me out of your own free will. Both of you had a wish of yours granted and became Magical Girls; I did not force you to make this decision.'_

 _Beings like him are everywhere. Tricking others and making them sad..._

Asides from Kyubey, another voice was certainly there. It sounded so familiar... and it spoke true, much to Madoka's dismay. She understood how helpless so many people actually were by now; it never occured to her before, but now she realised how ignorant she had been.

 _Yes, you paid no mind to all the suffering, to all the hatred and despair. What is so wrong about wanting to help them, to free them of their pain?_

"I get it now, Kyubey... I think I get it. It's like this everywhere, all the time, right? People get betrayed and tricked by others, but no one takes responsibility for this kind of thing..."

The creature blinked, its facial expressions unchanging as it stared down on her. There was barely anything else visible now, at least to Madoka; the rest of the world just... faded out. _'Human society, while functional even when based on emotions, is quite ineffective. Many are put at disadvantages or denied the means necessary to live properly because some are more interested in amassing wealth. Greed, I think you call it. It is a foreign concept to us Incubators, as we long since parted from such things as currency.'_

Most of it was just a confusing mumble, but she got the gist of it; Madoka lowered her head and looked at her blackening hands. "So many that need help..."

With those words, the pinkette found herself engulfed by blackness.

 _Yes... it is time to save them all!_

 **. . .**

They were just having dinner; Homura, Kyoko and her. Then however, everything started to shake and a violent wave of magic surged around them. Mami gasped in shock and surprise over feeling something this powerful while her Soul Gem lit up like a miniature sun; her companions had about the same reaction.

"What the hell?", she heard Kyoko screaming while the redhead ran over to the window and looked outside. The other Magical Girls joined her quickly and found what had her dumbfounded: a large mountain was growing into the sky, far greater than anything they ever saw. Or rather, greater than than anything Kyoko ever saw. Mami felt something churning deep within herself over the familiar frame; she also recognised the aura of the Witch born from Kaname Madoka... but Homura, the blonde noticed by throwing a glance to the side, did not react to the sight at all.

"So our time is up..."

 **. . .**

"Welcome home, Mama!", Nagisa exclaimed cheerfully and led the thin woman inside by the hand. Before there could be any response however, everything started to shake for a moment and the Magical Girl felt something terrible nearby.

Then her mother collapsed without a single sound, the gentle smile now frozen on her face.

"Mama? Mama?!"

Another sound from the other side of the room showed that her aunt fell to the ground unconciously as well.

Eyes wide, Nagisa quickly crouched next to her parent and gently turned her around, then transformed and poured as much of her healing magic into the limp body. "Please don't be dead, Mama! Nagisa doesn't want that!"

She didn't bother checking her pulse or anything; the girl's magic already told her that her mother was gone. Still, she did not give up this easily; she had been given magic... and magic could do everything, just like friendship and dedication always won in the end. But even when knowing that, the girl felt tears rolls down her cheeks.

 _It is not fair... Mama just got healthy again, so why did this happen?_

White light illuminated the darkening room; did the lights go out during the quake? Whatever it was, her magic made the dark wrinkles and shadows on her mother's face disappear. Like this... she appeared to be serenely happy, smiling even now. But this was not right, not at all!

"Please wake up, Mama!"

"It's useless", a familiar voice cut into her begging and sobbing; Nagisa hiccupped and turned around, the light fading away as she paused in her attempts. Yuri was there, standing next to her aunt and with a calm expression.

"Y-Yuri-san? Wahaa, please help!", the girl found herself crying and rushing into the eldritch being's arms. She could not help herself, this was just too much. Everything became gradually darker and she could barely take it. Nagisa did so much for her mother; she even went and fought Witches and helped people, so why could they not have cake again? Surely, Yuri could help. She was really smart and nice and stuff.

While the older girl's arms wrapped around her however, she whispered to the Magical Girl in a weird voice: "I can't. The world is ending by the hands of Kriemhild Gretchen and none will survive."  
"Huh?"

"It is inevitable... but listen, Nagisa; there is a way to undo all of this. Do you want to try again, so that we can make things right?"

So there really was a way. Nagisa could help, could do something to make her mother happy. If that was what had to be done... but it hurt so much, so very, very much.

"But Mama... Mama is gone... It's not fair, Yuri-san..."

She could not help herself but break into tears again, gently comforted by her friend; the Witch rubbed her back and sighed quietly. "Of course it isn't."

Something touched her belly very lightly and the dark layer on her thoughts went away; she could think a bit more clearly now, but did not stop clutching onto Yuri. Nagisa did not dare looking at her surroundings, so she buried her head in the other girl's chest instead.

"Is there really a way? Nagisa does not want it to end like this... Nagisa wants everyone to be happy..."

This was how it should go, was it not? The bad guys lost and the Magical Girls won... so what happened here? Who was this Kriemhild Gretchen and why could they not stop her?

Instead of responding however, Yuri started to chew something and scooped the younger girl up in her arms; she let it happen because she wanted to trust someone, wanted to believe that there might be a chance.

"I would like that."

There were no sounds aside from the tapping of her carrier's feet and after a while, Nagisa felt herself put to the ground. Yuri looked down on her with a calm expression that looked more like her twin sister, but that was alright; the grade-schooler was happy not to be alone in this. The tears had dried and she tried her best not to think about what happened back there. Instead, the girl looked at the towering shadow reaching for the sky; both awe and fear mixed themselves into her current hope and sadness when she looked upwards, trying to find where the being ended. It was impossible to see without sunlight and the figure covered the moon.

"Lilly! And Nagisa, too!"

A familiar weight landed on her head and remained there, but the girl was quite grateful for it; she felt a bit safer with Candel around. While her mind refused to accept the terror she felt her Soul Gem resonate with, Nagisa turned to look at Yuri. "What is that?"

At the same time, she quickly grabbed upwards and pulled the doll into her arms; this was better.

"The Witch of Salvation, who will soon end this world as we know it. Keep your magic down as we go; every other Witch has already fled Mitakihara."

The raven-haired Witch held a hand out to her, which the girl took before they continued to walk. There were people lying in the streets, all of them unmoving; Nagisa quickly turned her eyes away and kept looking at the towering creature. Somehow, the sight was both terrifying and mesmerising to her; something this horrible existed and no one could do anything, not even them... but when even the forces of Good were helpless, what should she believe in now?

"Yuri-san?"

"Yes?"

"What can we do? You said she can't be stopped, so..."

"That's why we will go back and make sure she never exists to begin with."

"...Huh?"

This statement had her force her eyes off the incredibly large Witch and focus on the one whose hand she held; Nagisa did not understand what Yuri meant. Where would they go back to? The cursed being was already there, so how did that work?

"Have you heard about time-travel before?"

Purple eyes regarded her with a more interested look, but the younger girl could only shake her head and keep up her questioning expression. She had no idea what time-travel was or how it worked. "I see. Basically, Homura and I can go back in time; can you imagine what that means?"

Nagisa shook her head again. It sounded weird, was this like making a clock go backwards instead of forwards?

"Let's see... imagine you had a cake and ate it; you're full and happy afterwards, but you don't have any more cake. If you go back in time, your stomach is empty and you can eat the same cake again because you are at a point where you haven't eaten it yet... oh, forget it. That example is stupid and you probably wouldn't understand it anyway."

The younger one really wanted to say she had understood it, but Yuri was right; it made no sense for the cake to be there when she already ate it. Still, the human-shaped Witch was not yet done, so Nagisa kept quiet.

"In short, the city will be back to how it was and your mother will be around, too. And no one but us will know what happened here."

"Oh..."

That sounded good to her; it was most likely done with magic, so now she could make perfect sense of it. "Nagisa understands; why did you not say that first?"

"Because it's not this simple, but you're probably too young to get what all this actually means."

 _'I see. This explains why you were so calm throughout the last few days.'_

She wanted to stop when Kyubey spoke up, but Yuri just walked on without even looking for the little cat; that was weird, she found. Still, Nagisa held onto the other girl's hand and quickly carried on, Candeloro pressed against her with the free arm.

"Right, that is one more thing to keep in mind, Nagisa: talking to Kyubey is forbidden once we go back. Do you understand that?"

"Huh? But why? Kyubey is nice..."

She had great fun talking to and petting him, there was nothing wrong with that. Was Yuri just mean right now, like Candel said she was sometimes?

"The problem is that it would try to hinder us if it knew; I don't mind you talking to it once we are done."

Nagisa did not really understand it now, but she knew this tone the Witch had by now; she would not change her mind... and normally, Yuri was right when she told her something like this up until now. Although...

"Nagisa can't talk to Kyubey... but can I pet him?"

Her hopeful look just had to convince the older girl; for some reason though, she just shrugged with a small smile. "Fine with me."

"Yay!"

 **. . .**

It was awful. Were it not for her having to follow Homura, Mami would hide her face from this catastrophe.

The streets of Mitakihara were lingered with the dead. Cars had crashed when their drivers fell limp, suitcases and bags sat on the ground next to their owners. Over all of this was the towering shape of this Witch, who started to move; her aura was so terrifying that the blonde considered fleeing the city herself. However, she could not do such a thing; not when she was needed.

Neither could she stop herself from crying over so much death, though; tears rolled one by one and she made no attempt at wiping them away. Kyoko fared little better; the redhead's face was almost as white as a sheet and she turned her gaze here and there.

The only sounds around them were the faint murmur of wind, the crackling of a fire that broke out behind the three and the horns of a few cars that crashed with their driver's slumped over the steering wheel.

"Look... h-how do you even know where we're going?", Kyoko asked after a while, her voice shaky and breaking. Mami had to agree with her question, though; Homura just went off without giving them an explanation. What was more, the time traveler did not seem to care about what had happened at all; she just walked on without her expression ever changing. Still, she seemed to hear them.

"Lilly and I already expected this, so we prepared ourselves."

However, the raven-haired girl's voice was strangely empty this time around; not just cold or calm, but... different. Mami had no idea what kind of description would fit Homura's tone right now, but it made her shiver. "She already went to check on Momoe Nagisa; once everyone has gathered at our usual training grounds, we will make the leap. I'm afraid your time to think has been cut short, Sakura Kyoko."

The older girls exchanged glances for a moment, but the redhead lowered her gaze. "I see... say, is this... does that... kind of thing happen often?"

"No; a lot of people died during my journey, but never on a scale like this, not counting Walpurgis."

She left it at that and Mami was grateful for it.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When the Magical Girls reached the familiar location within the construction site, they found that the other group was already there. Homulilly stood with her gaze cast onto the distant form of what had once been Kaname Madoka, clad in her black dress. She rarely wore it this time around for some reason.

The next thing Homura noticed was that her sister held the youngest Magical Girl by her hand, who in turn held Candeloro clutched to her chest and reacted to their arrival first; a bright smile formed on the girl's face when they came in sight. "Ah! Akemi-san and Mami-san and Sakura-san!"

"So you made it", Lilly noted with one last glance at the Witch of Salvation before turning to them as well; her eyes were more alive than usual... just as Homura felt more dead inside than usual. Sacrificing Madoka knowingly made her feel so unbelievably dirty... and yet she could not disagree with her Witch's judgement. One more attempt, with a solid plan this time around.

"Is everything prepared, Homura? Did you use up the sand?"

She nodded before handing over her remaining two Grief Seeds. She could not take those back anyway, so Lilly could use them a lot more right now. "I'm ready."

"Good. And the rest?"

Determined purple wandered from Mami, who nodded shakily while wiping her tears away, over Nagisa, who did the same but with a smile, to Kyoko, who clenched one of her hands into a fist and sighed. "I'm in. Who'd want to stay in this crapsack world? If I can change it, then why not?"

Moral World's Witch nodded once more before glancing back at Nagisa. "Okay. Once we reach the other side, I will go check on Mami and Homura will make sure you made it back; Kyoko, you will pack up and come to Mitakihara as fast as you can."

It was a good idea to decide on this kind of thing beforehand and Lilly was reasonable with how she divided the tasks, so the time traveler found no reason to disagree. Her sister used the moment to crack open those last few Grief Seeds and stuff herself as full as she could.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Not much later, four bodies fell to the ground; they lay around a discarded black dress and, in difference to all the other corpses, seemed to have had purpose. Their expressions were hopeful, determined, cold and once more determined respectively.

However, there was no one left in this city to find them as they kept lying in the shadow of Kriemhild Gretchen.

 **. .**

In one of the many bars downtown, a young woman in her thirties lay slumped over the bar; quite a few glasses scattered around her arms spoke of how she had been drinking too much once again. She usually rested her head like this when it went overboard... this time however, there was no groaning as usual. One could have thought her sleeping, had it not been for all the other people sprawled on the floor and slumped over tables and chairs.

 **. .**

Another woman was lying in the streets, her neat suit dirtied by the fall. She did not stumble, though. Lilac hair was ruffled by the wind that whispered all around the mother who had been on her way home. Her face remained unseen.

 **. .**

Further towards the inner city was a house that often sounded with music; the violin had stopped singing weeks before, but recently returned to duty. Now it was quiet as the residents sat at their table, all three staring into nothingness with wide eyes.

 **. .**

In a house further towards the outskirts of Mitakihara, a toddler rested peacefully in his father's arms. Both of them were on the couch, enjoying some time together in front of the TV. The little boy's favourite show was on at the moment; an earlier installment had been the daughter's favourite just as well. The very same daughter they had been waiting for, who would never again come home.

Just as they would never wake up again.

 **. .**

In the now dark Momoe-residence, two bodies lay just like they were left. One with her eyes closed and looking upwards, the other face-down. On the nearby table stood a plate, sadly forgotten by all that were present before. On it rested a large cake, originally made to celebrate the return of one of those that died earlier. It was untouched and would never receive its first cut.

 **. .**

The hospital was no different from any other place in Mitakihara. No living soul wandered the hallways, only the ghostly beeping of a few machines continued to break through the silence; patients and personal were felled alike, being no longer any different in death.

And in one room, a blunette was safely hidden under her covers; she was among the few that did not feel this moment of utter terror preceding the end, for she had been asleep when it happened.

 **. .**

The city of Mitakihara was dead, only the first milestone on her path. She would rise ever further; until all of humankind was saved from their gruesome fate.

 **. . . . .**

 **. . .**

[Sane Insanity, Insane Sanity]

Third Act: End

 **.**


	66. A New Face

There it was again, thix vortex of swirling colours. Mami recalled it from her previous journey, although she still felt strange passing through; something seemed to rub all over her without ever giving a distinct sign of what it was.

Tightly bound to her was another presence, one she quickly understood was Candeloro; the Dress-Up Witch still had something resembling form and held on to something else, but this was as far as Mami could... 'see'. It was only her and her eldritch counterpart right now.

Then however, a muffled scream reached her ears... no, two of them... no, three. She could not tell whom they belonged to, but her choices were limited anyway. Did something go wrong?

 **. . .**

It hurt; it hurt badly. Did Nagisa do something bad and was punished? She could not remember being mean to her classmates or sneaking food, so why was someone hurting her? And what was with the red light that just faded away? It had been warm so close to her, but now it was gone; still, there was something pushing her through all these colours... and it hurt where the other being touched her.

 _"Calm down, it will be over very soon. You are a strong girl, Momoe Nagisa; endure it just a little longer."_

That was Yuri's voice, soothingly whispering from behind her. It was oddly comforting in a way Nagisa would have trouble describing. She was not scared of this place... there was a strong purple light in front of her and Yuri behind her, so she was safe. It still hurt a lot, as if she stubbed her toe all over her body. However, the girl nodded slightly -at least she thought she did- and tried her best to ignore the feeling. Maybe it would go away if she did that, but it was not easy with how hot the pain coursed through her.

Then, all of a sudden, everything became bright and white.

 **. . .**

 **.**

Fourth Act: Start

 **.**

 **. . .**

When her eyes snapped open, she knew that something went wrong on the way back.

Homura had not been able to pay much attention to those following her because she was in the front; however, she trusted Lilly to take care of them just as she did previously. Still, the facts were that her sister was breathing heavily and glistening with sweat. Her body was recreated maybe a few minutes ago, so this could not be because of the sheets. She did not just imagine it, one of the presences behind her vanished before the jump was complete.

While suppressing the bout of panic as she went, the Magical Girl slowly sat up and revealed her panting Witch; Lilly's skin was slightly reddened and her eyes cracked open only the slightest bit. Then something clicked in her mind and a wave of exhaustion hit Homura, coming from the being in front of her without doubt.

 _'Sorry... I... that... that was too much. I couldn't...'_

The statement was interrupted when she placed a finger on her sister's lips; despite their conversation being held in their minds, the gesture was distinctive enough.

 _"You should rest for now and tell me about it later. I can see how exhausted you are. I see if I can get you something to eat."_

Lilly kept quiet for a while and her eyes fluttered slightly. In the end, she closed them with a sigh.

 _'Thank you... Onee-chan.'_

Even when her Soul Gem would not react to her own Witch, Homura could usually at least feel a bit of her presence. There was nothing to be felt right now, so Lilly probably exhausted herself completely with bringing that many people. With that in mind, she covered up her sister and went to leave the room; it would be at least two hours before anyone checked on her anyway, so she should have enough time to kill a Witch and take a look at Momoe Nagisa.

 **. . .**

This time around, it was her who woke up first. Candel had been sitting by Mami's side instead of wrapped around her this time... and she was quite happy; waking up her sister with a nice cup of tea sounded like a good thing to do... sadly, it was not possible with her currently hiding under the blond girl's blanket. Before she could do so much as look around, she had noticed Kyubey sitting next to them.

Which meant that for right now, Candeloro was waiting for her Magical Girl to wake up and trying to move as little as possible.

 **. . .**

Sleepy eyes stared at the ceiling, the mind behind them wondering if everything she recalled was just a dream. However, the gem she felt in her hands surged with magic, just as it did in her memories; she had become a Magical Girl.

Still, Nagisa wondered just why she was lying in her bed all of a sudden; they had been somewhere outside just before... and then there was this strange, colourful thing they flew through. It hurt back there, but now she was completely fine. That was nice.

"Uhhh! Hungry!"

A timid voice whined those words from right in front of her and when the girl turned her head to look, empty blue eyes stared back at her. Or... no, they were not empty; there was just none of those black things inside that humans had in the middle of their eyes. Nagisa was surprised for a moment, but remembering Candel made her relax; the doll was very nice, so this being probably was the same. After all, they could both talk.

"Hungry..."

Nagisa slowly untangled her arms from the blanket and took her little guest by the hips; she -and it was a she because her voice was like that of a girl- squealed in surprise and became stiff. That was good; now, the Magical Girl could sit up properly and look at who had been sitting on her while she slept.

It was... another doll, that much was easy to tell. She was really soft and generally felt as if Nagisa was holding Candel... although this one was a bit heavier. She also had no spirally legs... and she was not yellow and blue. Instead, this one was very pink; her head was pink aside from her face, with what looked like two large, flapping ears... and the rest of her body was pink as well. The doll had a white face with a big yellow dot under each eye and a tiny mouth as well as a dot nose. It was blank otherwise, but Nagisa did not really mind. She was awed by the long, red cape reaching further down than the figure in her hands was tall. It connected to the big, black collar with the red polka dots.

She also wore something like a vest with two buttons, but that was not really interesting. Everyone could have vests, but Nagisa only ever saw people with capes on TV. They were always really strong and helped people, so this doll absolutely must be a nice person.

With her train of thought finished, the Magical Girl smiled happily and pushed back her blanket. "Hello there, little doll. Nice to meet you."

The doll tilted her head slightly and stared at her for a moment, but then the mouth turned upwards into a smile. "Hello! Nice to meet!"

She giggled over how silly her new friend spoke and finally got out of bed. "You said you are hungry? Do you want Nagisa to make something to eat?"

Whoever this was, she was nice and cute; it would be mean not to give her something to eat. She knew how much she herself disliked when her aunt did not let her eat because the time was not right or something like that. Well, her aunt was not here right now and Nagisa could reach the fridge by herself... and with the stool's help.

"Yay, food! Char is hungry!"

"Okay!", Nagisa sang in response while hugging the doll and walking over to the kitchen. Char was really soft and warm and smelled like cookies. And she was not as big as Candel, but still so fluffy to hold... that was so great! Now the Magical Girl had two doll-friends.

Once she reached the kitchen, Nagisa carefully put Char down and went for the stool, then looked up at the table she sat on. "Um... what does Char want to eat?"

She had no idea what to feed a doll; Candel only ever drank tea, so this would not help her here. Thankfully though, the grade-schooler could count on her new friend knowing what she wanted. Char clapped her hands and squealed "Cheese!". That was a relief, seeing that Nagisa could not cook yet. She wanted to learn how to do it, but her aunt always said she was still too young. At least she allowed her to bake sweets once in a while. But cheese was fine, they had a lot of that. Nagisa loved to eat it herself, after all; so she nodded with a bright smile and brought out both a large chunk of cheese for her friend and a pudding for herself.

"Here you go."

"Yay!"

After handing the food to the cheering doll, she sat down and started eating herself. All the while, Char nibbled on her treat and took bites with her small mouth.

Then, all of a sudden, the little thing's mouth grew wider and opened into a gaping hole adorned with long and sharp teeth; Nagisa was fascinated by how big her new friend could make it. Char pushed the remaining cheese into her mouth as a whole and started chewing, her head bulged out a bit and with visible happiness. The Magical Girl giggled and reached over to pet the pink head. "Is it good?"

Which prompted the doll to nod lively. "Yesh! Good!"

She was still chewing, but Nagisa could understand the little one just fine. She knew how good it felt to stuff herself with good food; good enough that she risked being scolded by either her mother or her aunt time and again.

Speaking of which... where were they? Yuri said something about only them remembering what happened... and for things to somehow become un-happened or something like that. How did that work?

"You seem to get along quite well", a new voice chimed into their comfortable atmosphere. A familiar voice that had Nagisa turn around with a smile. "Akemi-san, hello! Look, look: when I woke up, Char was there!"

The black-haired girl stood in her Magical Girl-clothes and had this air of coolness all around her just as usual; still, the younger one already knew how nice her senior was. Char kept waving with her small arms when Akemi's gaze wandered over to her. "I'm Char!"

"I see. Would your full name be Charlotte?"

Now that Nagisa thought about, she had yet to ask her new friend's name; they just skipped that part entirely. But how did the older girl know when she herself did not? The doll nodded and started to lick her small hands with a big, blue tongue; how did that fit into her mouth or head? No, she had to focus on the other question.

"Akemi-san? How do you know Char's name?"

Her fellow Magical Girl moved to take a closer look while answering. "Lilly mentioned it before and I just remembered over hearing the abbreviation. You are aware she is a Witch, right?"

A Witch? Right, that was probably what the doll was; however, she was nice and alright. "I guess... but Nagisa thinks that Char is fine. She is like Candel-chan, I think."

"Yes. Will anyone come to check on you?"

That was a rather abrupt change in topic, so the girl needed a moment to think. She actually wanted to ask how Yuri would know Char, but answering the question came first. She was a good girl after all, so she had to mind her manners. "Um... no. Auntie doesn't come on Saturdays."

"Good."

The black-haired girl nodded and cast a look around before focussing on Nagisa again. "I will fill you in on the way. Please eat up and transform so we can head over."

 **. . .**

In another city entirely, a certain redheaded Magical Girl was trying to comb her disheveled hair; which was not that easy, considering how long it had grown by this point. Even when held in a ponytail, it would almost reach Kyoko's rear; that was both annoying and... actually quite nice. Even when she long since discarded who she originally was, being proud of her hair was something that she would always be. It was the only luxury she allowed herself in life.

Right now however, the girl was grumbling over those weird dreams she had, which she could not really remember. Something about a caterpillar and a burning rider on their horse... whatever it was, it was not clear in her mind and continued to fade.

 _Did we have a full moon again?_

This kind of weird dreams happened sometimes, so she paid it no mind. Not that it changed anything, anyway.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

The first thing Mami did after waking up was shooing Kyubey away; she really did not want to see him... it right now. Not after the very real nightmare she witnessed but a few hours ago.

Thankfully, Candel was with her and Homura had not yet arrived to check on them. The blonde sat on the bed with her back leaned against the wall, her Witch pressed tightly against her chest. She was cold in a way that not even the pleasant warmth radiating from the doll could help her; the sight of all those people just lying in the streets came back every time Mami closed her eyes, probably burned into her memory forever. One of Candel's arms gently petted her head and she was grateful for that; it helped working through what she had seen, although the images would not go away.

"Just... why did this have to happen? And to Kaname-san of all people... oh, if she knew..."

"There there, Mami. It's alright, everyone is alive again", her Witch interrupted with a soothing purr. "I'm sure Lilly has a plan now. She seemed really determined."

But even if Yuri had a plan, how were their chances? They did not even make it towards the end of April this time around; even if they would have managed to do so... Walpurgis was still an obstacle they could not cast aside easily. All the firepower from both Homura and her did little more than scratch the abomination. The Queen of Witches indeed.

In the end, they needed Kaname to form the contract for this to work. Homura herself stated that she failed dozens of times already, so even her best efforts made no difference; the only one stronger than them was the gentle pinkette... and she would turn into the bringer of apocalypse afterwards.

"But how? I do not question Yuri-san's ability to think of a plan, but... if she would at least tell us, I would not even mind... ohh, what should we do, Candel? There is no way even all of the Magical Girls available could do anything to Walpurgis. I can not see any solution to all of this."

"Hmm..."

The doll gave this some thought before raising her head back up. "You could ask her."

"Um... oh. Good point."

She honestly forgot that this was indeed a possibility. Yuri was oddly quiet around her for a while now and Mami blamed it on herself being stupid enough to actually confess. She should have waited and worked for their relationship to grow stronger first. Granted, the blonde still felt attracted; she decided to keep it to herself for now, though. Maybe if she had a few months of time, she could do something to make the Witch like her back. But for now, the Magical Girl had to focus on the task at hand.

"Yes, let us do that."

With those words, she hugged Candel a bit closer and continued to enjoy her company. Thinking about this was still better than recalling the last few hours of concious memories.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When Lilly woke up, she found three faces looking down on her. One was her own, the second obviously Nagisa. The third one... had blue eyes lacking pupils and was pure white. So that probably was the new Witch in their group.

"How do you feel, Lilly?"

"Awful", the eldritch being replied while pushing herself upwards with a groan; the blanket fell down into her lap. "I see you took over for me. Good morning, Nagisa; Charlotte."

The Magical Girl quickly bowed while her Witch eyed Lilly curiously. There was a certain amount of hunger radiating from her, although not directed at anything in particular. Good, the last thing she needed right after waking up was to be targeted by a hungry newborn.

"Yes; aside from that, here."

Homura kept calm and handed her a Grief Seed, which caught the younger girl's attention. Right, Nagisa never saw her eat one of them before, so she was probably in for a surprise. Charlotte kept her eyes on the whole thing as well, albeit more curious than her Magical Girl. When Lilly started tearing away the metal cage however, the newborn Witch's eyes grew wide at the sight... and her hunger intensified? That might be bad, considering that she had yet to find out what to feed the Witch of Sweets with.

While she enjoyed her breakfast, Homura pulled some clothes out of her shield. Ah, right, Lilly was not wearing anything at the moment. The taste of curses and despair was wonderful right now, especially with her aching stomach. She completely exhausted herself on this journey by trying to bring so many people. Because of that, her attempt at forming another human-shaped Witch from those that were soon to be born failed; granted, it had been Kyoko's Witch she wanted to do that with... and Kyoko was no longer there.

With all the metal already eaten, Lilly proceeded to the core and munched on it happily; this was pure bliss, although she could not enjoy it as much as she would have liked. Swallowing, Mortal World's Witch started to dress herself... strangely though, Nagisa turned around now. Did she just start to notice her being naked? Whatever the case, she thereby brought Charlotte out of her sight as well, seeing that she held the doll in her arms.

"I couldn't bring Kyoko all the way; that would have killed me, I think. Sorry..."

"I see", her sister replied after a moment and took a seat on the bed Lilly just left. "What happened to her?"

"The Kyoko in this timeline is probably the same as before; the Kyoko we brought is gone. I pushed her away and I doubt she could find the way on her own. Whether she was destroyed or ended up somewhere else entirely... no idea."

This was one of those things she just felt weird about. Something heavy seemed to rest on Lilly's chest; she had abandoned the redhead a second time, mostly because getting acquainted with her again was very easy. That was why Lilly decided in favour of Nagisa. It did not feel good to have done this at all, but the decision had to be made. Still, she actually liked the redhead and felt conflicted now.

 _Hm... if we left her back there, she would have died anyway._

It was not a satisfying justification, but that would do for her to stop thinking about it. Besides, since when did Mortal World's Witch even need to justify her behaviour?

...

Since the very beginning, right. First to Homura, then to Mami and now to herself... great. If her conscience really started to regard this kind of thing, maybe it was time to indulge in some insanity again.

"So you will contact her sometime soon?"

Lilly shook off the thoughts and slid into the trousers she had been given, then lowered her head to ponder. Right now, having Kyoko join them -again- might not be the best choice. Mami had grown attached to the other one -again- and might take the additional repetition even less well than before. On top of that, they could always go talk to her when everything was done. "No, not this time. If she comes by herself, that is fine... but I want to foucs on the people we have around already. Besides, I have another idea on how to trick Kyubey."

The trousers done, Lilly kept quiet for a moment while pulling the purple sweater over her head. When she could see again and pushed her hair out, she finished: "You should go and get discharged now... I take Nagisa and we head over to Mami's place."

"Alright."

Homura nodded slightly and dispelled her attire while the Witch walked over to where the younger Magical Girl was waiting. The last part of their conversation had her peak around to see if she was decent; now Nagisa turned completely with this curious look that told her she would have some... or probably a lot more explaining to do later on. On things she knew very little about, no less. Charlotte kept watching her curiously and Lilly nodded down at the newborn Witch. "We can introduce ourselves and answer questions later; are you good to go?"

"Um... yes."

"Yes."

Both of them seemed a bit disappointed about having to wait, but neither of the two objected.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Oh!", Candel perked up all of a sudden. "I can feel Lilly... and someone new!"

That also got Mami's attention, who quickly got up and set her Witch down; she was still in her pyjamas, so she had to get dressed. Just how much time had passed? Additionally, her Soul Gem was glowing and she could feel a presence closeby.

"Someone new? You mean a new Witch?"

While the blonde slid out of the yellow cloth and into her school uniform -which was the only set of clothes she had always ready-, the doll walked a few steps and tried to feel for something... and then Mami felt it come closer from one moment to the next. In fact, whatever it was was now in the adjacent room. So it had been Yuri, coming in over the balcony just as usual. There were other presences with her, though; the blonde could tell them apart on this distance. Another eldritch being and a Magical Girl.

"Yes, a Witch. Her name is Charlotte and she is the Witch of Sweets; can I go meet her, Mami? Can I?"

It was adorable to see her so eager; the Magical Girl quickly bound her bowtie and held out an arm to Candel. "Of course; we should both meet our guests. Hop up."

While the doll did just that, Mami wondered what kind of Witch might belong to Momoe; it was obviously hers, just as she was obviously accompanying Yuri. Homura had to stay back at... wherever they started the day. Much to the blonde's surprise, she just realised she never asked about that particular topic.

 _I really should ask them, just in case something goes wrong on their end and I have to check._

And of course, it would be nice to learn some more about the Akemis; they rarely spoke about themselves, after all.

Now however, it was time to say hello; with Candel perched on her shoulder, Mami opened the door to the living room and smiled at the people she knew were already waiting there.

Yuri was holding another doll in her arms, although this one was somewhat familiar; the blonde could not really tell where she saw it before, though... or when, for that matter. All the Witches she fought in her time as a Magical Girl blurred together after a while; none was like the other and it was impossible to keep track of which minion she saw with a particular eldritch being or where they were. On top of that, the time travelling confused her memory even more.

With the Witches focussed on each other in some kind of staring contest, the only one to actually notice her was Momoe, whose smile brightened. "Good morning, Tomoe-san! And Candel-chan, too!"

She nodded at the younger girl before taking a seat on Yuri's other side; at the same time, Candel jumped on the table and slung her arms around her friend almost faster than any of them could see. "It's good to see you, Nagisa!"

This was followed by a sigh from the older Witch, who put down Charlotte. "It's good to see you alright; I wasn't sure the additional trip would not have some more unexpected events. Imagine another Candeloro forming to form a pair of twins with the first one."

"That sounds wonderful", the blue doll contributed to the amusing idea and started unwinding her arms again; following that, she went to hug the pink doll. "Nice to meet you! I'm Candel!"

This was a bit fast, especially when this Witch was so young; maybe she was not happy with getting so much attention all at once, so Mami opened her mouth to reprimand her Witch... and closed it when the new addition to their group hugged back with her small arms. "I'm Char!"

"Why do I get the feeling", Yuri noted with a glance in her direction, "that this might get bothersome?"

Mami could understand that, though; those two were very similar to little children...

"Anyway, I have bad news for you, Mami. Kyoko didn't make it."

All of a sudden, this one statement sucked the warmth out of her; the blonde blinked a few times while something within her cried out to deny what she just heard. Kyoko should no longer be with them? That was ridiculous, it had to be.

"Huh? Why is that, Lilly?"

Candel was letting go of her new friend by now and quickly went to question the older Witch's words as well. Mami wanted to ask the same thing, but could not bring her mouth to form words. She just felt so cold from one moment to the next; all the effort she put into reconciling with the redhead... for nothing once again? That... that was not fair.

"I couldn't bring everyone all the way; it was too much for me."

Yuri looked not at all happy about this as well, so the momentary urge to blame it all on her went away without becoming reality. Still, what would they do now?

"Oh... was it really that tiring? I was just holding on to you and Mami, so I can't tell."

Candel started to pet Yuri's raven hair, who -as a matter of fact- did not object to the treatment and closed her eyes for a moment. This really was unusual... and at the same time, Mami wanted to do that as well. Sadly, she was far too embarassed to even make the attempt right now.

With this, she figured, another month of weird adventures had begun.


	67. Change of Plans I

She did not understand the older girls. Why did they not go to meet Sakura when they said they would earlier? Yuri explained some things that went right over Nagisa's head, so maybe it had to do with that. What she understood, though, was that the redhead was not with them and would not come over for a while. Somehow, that made her sad; Sakura looked scary, but was actually a nice person. Just like Homura was all cold and never smiled, but had a lot of patience with her.

Nagisa liked them all a lot.

However, not being able to see one of her new friends was sad; she actually thought about going over to where she lived herself to play. The biggest problem there was that she had no idea where to go, though; no one ever mentioned where Nagisa could find the redhead and Yuri actually said not to go there. To make matters worse, she took Char away right after bringing the younger girl back home; Nagisa was all by herself, doodling around in her colouring book. She tried to draw her Witch, but it just ended up looking strange every time.

On that note, the Magical Girl had been a bit surprised when she was told where Witches actually came from. Why did no one tell her about that before today, she wondered. Personally, Nagisa did not mind at all; if she ended up being Char, that was just fine. Char was nice and cuddly and fluffy and cute; it was a good thing to become all that, but she wanted to stay Nagisa for now.

The girl shook her head and flipped another page with an angry mutter. Just why did none of her doodles come out right? She needed to try again.

 **. . .**

 _This is actually getting ridiculous._

Charlotte somehow managed to fit into the bag she used for Candel in the previous timeline; at least she was not squirming around right now, probably scared by Lilly's aura.

On the other hand, she emitted calm and quiet for a while now... what was the younger Witch doing in there?

While maneuvering through the groups of people walking around, Mortal World's Witch relaxed slightly and tried her best not to react to the stench. The last timeline had been a blessing, seeing that she managed to stay away from larger crowds most of the time. With what they learned there, it would take but a few days to put up another barrier; for now however, she had to get herself more food and find out what to feed Char with. The Sweets Witch seemed to be interested in Grief Seeds, but that was hopefully just fleeting interest. Lilly did _not_ want to share this part of her diet.

The human-shaped Witch made a turn into one of the alleyways Familiars liked before sighing inwardly. The small fries always fled in this kind of situation, unless someone was currently trapped in their barriers. She could only catch them if she went with her aura suppressed, which... would not really work right now because the doll in her bag already emanated a certain amount of hunger.

After taking a few more turns and thereby vanishing into the darker innards of Mitakihara, Lilly stopped and carefully opened the bag. No human being around her, so it was about time; this place was well enough to work from. She sensed a Familiar in the distance and a Witch in the opposite direction.

When the zipper was pulled down however, she found the younger Witch asleep. The tip of her arm was stuck in her mouth, much like a baby would suck its thumb.

Candel and Nagisa would probably have squealed over how adorable the sight was; Lilly just rolled her eyes and lifted the doll out of her resting place. To take a nap while being carried around like that...

"Wake up, Char. It's time to find out what food you like."

Sadly, mentioning food did not just magically rise the doll from her slumber. However, she started to stir when she was shaken a few times. "Huh? Are we there?"

"Where?", she could not help herself to ask. Did the other Witch expect to be brought somewhere?

"There! Where you wanted to go with Char!"

Those large eyes stared at her with the same curiousity Nagisa had at times before; they really were children, both of them. Lilly rolled her eyes again and set the doll down. "Yes, we are. Now that you're awake, tell me what food you like."

She barely finished her order when the doll already replied with glee: "Cheese! Char loves cheese!"

So just like Nagisa and just like Lilly remembered from the barrier she entered before. Or rather, those were Homura's memories of the Witch. Still, she could not live off of cheese alone. Just like the older Witch could not live from Grief Seeds alone... as much as she would have liked that. They probably had that in common, she figured while crouching in front of the doll. "Okay, but you can't go around eating nothing but cheese. It starts tasting bad if you always eat it. What else?"

Granted, that was a human thing and might not apply to their kin. Still, bringing it up might help her finding out what to feed Charlotte with.

"Mhm... Char doesn't know."

With those words, the newborn tilted her head and stuck the tip of one arm against her cheek, as if in thought. In fact, Lilly saw Nagisa do the same thing on occasion, putting a finger on her cheek when thinking about something. The girl might not even be aware of it herself. As it seemed, they had this trait in common.

On the other hand, that response was not a good start; if the other Witch would at least have an idea on what she wanted... or maybe it was easier than she expected and Charlotte could eat about everything?

 _...Nah, the universe wouldn't give me a companion as convenient as this._

At the point she reached so far, Lilly could not deny that some cosmic entity seemed to hold a dislike for her; all those setbacks and troubles were a good indicator for that. Although... was Char sniffing the air? She definitely was, her head tilted upwards and her eyes closed. "Mhm... Char smells something yummy."

Oh? Maybe it was the other Witch in the distance? If that was the case, she could get to hunting. "In which direction?"

Once she asked however, her charge pointed neither towards the Familiar, nor their fellow Witch. Instead, she pointed at where the stench of people was the strongest. This... might not be so good.

 _Okay. If it is what I think it is, we might get in trouble._

She would actually have expected for Kyoko's eldritch counterpart to have an interest in eating humans; it would fit her pragmatic nature, especially when her human morales were wiped away. Still, maybe Charlotte wanted something different Lilly had not yet noticed. It would be stupid, going in to expect exactly one thing and gape at a turnaround like an idiot. Nonetheless, Lilly took up her bag, secured the doll in her grasp and made a few walljumps up to the roof. Convenient trick, that; good thing she recalled Kyoko doing it quite a lot, although she used her spear for balancing.

"Do you have any idea what it is you smell, Char?"

"Um... no. There is a lot, but I can't tell. Can we go look for it, Lilly?"

She was given something that might be puppy-dog eyes, although their effect was somewhat lessened by the fact that the doll emanated eagerness and hunger. To be fair, most other people would probably believe this to be a monster readying for an attack instead of a Witch trying to get her way, but whatever. Lilly nodded and started walking over the rooftop. "Yes, we will. I'm responsible for your existence, so I will make sure to get you fed properly."

That sounded about right. A duty like this was definitely asked of her for at least long enough to allow her fellow Witch to survive. Humans were... interesting, but a few would not be missed. Just like she told Candeloro about a month ago, there were just so many... therefore, keeping Char well and happy was probably more important. There was only one Witch of Sweets; even if she was wrong in her assumption that it was human beings the newborn wanted to eat. Whether that was worth the trouble was another question.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Alas, unfortunately, she was right. Asides from being right however, Lilly made a few interesting discoveries. Which definitely not made her a little bit envious.

For one, Charlotte could use her Witch's Kiss from a distance of about twenty meters. In difference to the older one however, the doll could only give the customary command "Kill yourself", nothing else. Okay, it sufficed for what they intended at this point, but that at least helped the human-shaped Witch to quell her envy... which was not there to begin with.

On that note, the command in question worked as intended: the target, as long as it was of weak will, would quickly search for the most ethical method to commit suicide. At least it was not broken in a weird way, like making someone bash their head in at the nearest wall; no, their target went to look for an abandoned building to jump off of. It worked better than Lilly's own customary command, seeing that it did the former, not the latter.

While Mortal World's Witch averted her gaze from the remains of what had originally been a teenage girl, she felt her companion's aura grow stronger with what resembled a leap in potency; Char squealed happily and rubbed her belly, then turned her head to look at Lilly. "That was great! Thank you for showing Char, Lilly!"

Which was followed by the doll's growling stomach. She was still hungry even after having a human soul? Weird, those things were supposed to be rather filling. "Ugh... but I am still hungry..."

This brought her to a problem. Feeding one person to her charge once in a while might not gain much attention if she played it right; if Charlotte went to eat several in rapid succession, Lilly could probably not get them out of trouble with Mami and Nagisa, though. Although an explanation to pacify the younger girl already presented itself; if she told her that her Witch only ate bad people, she should be alright with it. Mami... was more of a problem.

On the other hand, maybe... maybe she did not need to feed another person to Char. Purple eyes returned to the mess that had been alive no five minutes ago. If the younger Witch really had no preferences...

"Then eat up."

She pointed at the remains of their victim, which had Char turn around and tilt her head slightly. It took her a moment to understand what Lilly actually meant, but a spike of joy coursed through her aura once she did. Maybe the doll did not expect to be allowed to eat the corpse. "Oh. Okay! Thank you, Lilly!"

And she ran off, as fast as her short legs could bring her to her new meal.

 _Really, I'm in for quite an earful once they find out. Still, better the whole person than two souls; besides, the body isn't much use for anything else anymore._

Of course she might have found something else to feed their new addition, but this was fine with her; there were far too many humans, anyway. Although Kyubey would probably notice and... ah, yes.

"Come on out, Kyubey. You're obviously watching us."

As she spoke, Char's buddy bulged and compressed while a large serpent emerged from her mouth; it was almost as big as the alleyway was wide, at least four meters high and probably a dozen meters long... hm, maybe this form of the Sweets Witch would make for a mount? She probably would not mind a few small people riding on her back.

However, Lilly could not really see what her charge did exactly due to a black body with rainbow-coloured polka dots blocking the view; it consisted of some rustling and slurping, followed by crushing noises that were probably chewing and a long gulp. Whatever it was, it happened fast. It only took a little bit longer than the white and red feline needed to appear in one of the windows and jump down to where Lilly stood.

 _'I am quite surprised you called out to me.'_

She nodded slightly; everyone would be surprised once she told them, but this was the safest bet Lilly found. "I wouldn't have if the situation wasn't as dire as it is."

Her words were underlined by some more slurping before the serpent bent upwards and around to look at her. Char still had a white face, but now her nose was pointy and had a red lump on the tip; her cheeks were adorned with big, yellow circles and her eyes held about every primary and secondary colour, arranged in circles around the center. Looking up a bit further, the human-shaped Witch found a red and a blue ear flapping up from the serpent's head. What made this more morbid was that said serpent smiled at her with a toothy grin which exposed traces of blood on the sharp teeth. There were a few scraps of cloth stuck between them as well... it really looked exactly like the kind of scene that just took place, except for the childish voice echoing out of the large creature's mouth: "That was yummy, too; now Char is full and happy. I love you, Lilly, you're great!"

The raven-haired girl shook her head in disbelief before raising an arm and petting Charlotte's forehead. "It's good to hear that you're full now; you should get to clean your teeth, though... and please go back into your smaller form."

"Okay!"

As the serpent twisted around once more and went down to something on the ground, she cast another glance at Kyubey. "You're well aware of us being Witches and I'm well aware of a certain girl by the name of Kaname Madoka. If you contract with her, the Witch born from her despair will destroy humankind."

Red and purple met for a moment while Charlotte squeezed herself back into the smaller body, somehow rumbling around inside with some portions bulging outwards for a moment; the newborn's face came back up at the top a few moments later. Lilly kept her main attention on the Incubator, though. _'You are quite well informed; I did not expect a Witch capable of reason to make her appearance, to be honest... would you mind telling me what irregularity resulted in your existence?'_

She should probably keep this little detail to herself, but she needed Kyubey's cooperation with this. So... ah, right. "The very same irregularity you bring forth, of course. I, Candeloro and Charlotte have all been born from a certain wish; I can't tell you any details, though. My memory is fuzzy and I obviously wasn't around when the wish was made. That's not what I wanted to talk about, anyway. I have a proposal to make to you."

Meanwhile, her companion walked back up to the human-shaped Witch and emitted content. However, Char was also obviously curious about the Incubator and sat down in front of it to look. Kyubey on its part appeared as calm as usual, albeit the slight tilt of its head that indicated interest. _'I am curious what this may be about. Considering that you mentioned Kaname Madoka before, would this be about her?'_

Oh, she really hated having to put up with this thing; unfortunately, it was necessary at this point... okay, it was not. However, getting Kyubey to agree with what she had in mind would take a lot of her time off of getting the rat away from Madoka. Lilly nodded slightly and noted -with a certain amount of amusement- that Char was starting to nibble at the Incubator's ear. She prodded the other Witch with her foot to make her stop. "Yes. Of course you will go and make her a Magical Girl no matter what I say here; that isn't what I want. However, I am Mortal World's Witch; I long to see this world of man go on. The birth of this girl's Witch is something I can't overlook."

She had to go to great lengths to suppress the smirk. None of this was a lie. "However, I think I have a certain means to ensure the continued existence of humankind even when Kaname Madoka forms the contract; I just need time to gather more strength and prepare for it. As far as I understood your goals, that should be in your interest as well; that is why I ask you to wait until the end of April before you approach the girl."

It had been a spontaneous idea, to be honest; she just thought of it when they went to Mami's place earlier that day. However, it was a good idea: if Kyubey accepted this, they would have far more time to work properly without having to watch out for the next plot thrown their way. Which was actually the main reason she wanted Madoka's contract to be late in April; they could finish off Walpurgis before something like what happened with Shizuki could be done to them again.

 _'I think this will need some more thought before I commit to such an agreement. What kind of means are you thinking of?'_

At least the doll could read the mood and kept quiet... or maybe it was the seriousness in Lilly's aura making her silent; whichever it was, the older Witch was quite happy about the result. She needed to think quickly, after all.

"I possess abilities that grow stronger the more powerful my target is; if I have enough reserves, it should work out properly."

Of course she never tried setting Kriemhild Gretchen on fire so far. It made no sense to try, seeing that the Witch of Salvation had no barrier. Even if she was set ablaze, she could just snuff out the flames with little more than a thought. On the other hand, manipulation counted as an ability as well. Which, incidently, fit the description Lilly gave just fine.

"As I said, I just need some time to make the necessary preparations."

Kyubey blinked a few times before getting up to its feet. _'I see. Naturally, it would be a wonderful turn of events if we could continue our work on Earth even beyond our quota; nonetheless, I need to think about your proposal more carefully. For now however, there are other duties demanding my attention; I will get back to you once I thought this through, probably tomorrow.'_

"Fine with me."

The Incubator swiftly moved to vanish around a nearby corner; meanwhile, Lilly took up her charge and suppressed a sigh. This went... alright; she had been careful enough. Hopefully.

If this worked out, she could get Madoka's manipulated contract placed maybe two days before Walpurgis' arrival; which would be far too little time for Kyubey to stop the plan. Granted, there might be some trouble afterwards, but they could probably deal with it. Miki Sayaka might not even become a Magical Girl, seeing that her potential was barely acceptable; the Incubator usually contracted her to build up the pressure on Madoka. With no one stopping it there, the blunette was probably safe.

"Lilly? What did you talk about?"

The doll seemed honestly curious; before the older Witch answered however, she quickly cast a glance to where her charge had her... second helping. No traces were left of what happened, aside from the ground around the place being cleaner and a bit wet.

"I'll explain it on the way back."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Candeloro was lonely. She had been left to watch the flat while Mami and Homura went to do something... the same thing they did in the last timeline, that allowed the raven-haired girl to live with them. The doll did not pay much attention, to be honest; she had been more interested in -and intimated by- Lilly in the last timeline... and this time she had been playing with Charlotte.

 _Why didn't Lilly take me along? The more, the merrier... and I like Char._

Out of boredom, the Dress-Up Witch started to gather her magic and give it form, creating a proto-barrier just like she learned to do before. Her friend expended so much energy bringing them all back to this point, so the least she could do was working a bit. Of course Candel would rather play, but there was no one to play with; she did not like being alone, not at all. However, they all said they would be back very soon, so she would trust them.

 _Hm... I wonder what kind of barrier we will get when we mix Char in? Maybe lots of sweets all around, that would be fun._

The doll continued her work in silence, warping space around the small room she imagined so vividly. It was a vision she and Lilly created together, the large main room they originally made. At this point, she realised that maybe she should have waited for Charlotte's addition to the appearance... but her new friend could probably add something of her own later.

It was a shame the whole barrier would be so small, but they had no choice. It took a lot of magic to make... although Candel noticed that it already became easier the second time around; maybe they could get more efficient with practice, after all. Considering that there were now three Witches to contribute, everything might turn out just fine. The other Witches had to do it somehow, after all.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

It had been a bit too quiet on the way back; Homura could tell that her companion was thinking about something... maybe 'brooding' would fit better, though. The blonde had her eyes cast downwards and her brows narrowed. At first, the time traveler let her be and expected Mami to snap out of her thoughts sooner or later.

This had been half an hour ago. They were still about five minutes away from the flat, but the other Magical Girl showed no signs of coming to a conclusion; it was quite likely that her mind was going in circles at this point, so the raven-haired girl decided to interrupt Mami's thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Oh... we are almost there, are we not?"

Upon her confirming nod, the third-year sighed and rubbed her temples. "I am really sorry, Homura-san. I could not help myself but wonder..."

The other girl stopped, apparently at a loss. What would have her think this much so early into the timeline? Was Mami already pondering to quit, maybe? No, that seemed improbable; she would not have made the leap back if she was at her limit. The time-traveler just waited until her companion found a sufficient wording, which she did after a while: "I... I am a bit worried about Yuri-san. You see... she is acting a lot more independently, without consulting us or asking our opinion; it worries me that she seems to distance herself from us like that..."

So that was it. Homura actually thought about this herself, but decided that Lilly's behaviour was alright; both her and her Witch preferred to act alone, after all. Her eldritch sister merely became more independent compared to before, now that potential threats were on her side. Speaking of which, she had to get going to kill all the dangerous Magical Girls and potential candidates around Mitakihara. But... not right now. First things first, she had to sort this out with Mami.

"I get what you mean, but there is no need to be worried. Lilly generally prefers to work alone is all."

And all of a sudden, her sister connected to her mind. _'How is it going, Onee-chan?'_

There was a tinge of content coming with that question, indicating that something good happened to her Witch. Whether this also was something good by Homura's... or rather a regular person's standards was another question.

 _"Tomoe Mami is starting to worry about you going off on your own more frequently. Aside from that, no problems."_

 _'Ah, I see'_ , Lilly replied after a moment. _'Do you think I should stay around more often? Because I would really rather not... it would probably only worsen her attraction to me, which I never wanted to begin with. Aside from that, I fed Char and dropped her off at Nagisa's place just before.'_

This, on the other hand, made a lot of sense. Homura completely forgot that the blond Magical Girl got attracted to her sister for some reason; granted, Mami usually clung to anyone who was nice to her anyway. Had it been the time traveler instead of her sister, she would have probably done the same thing.

"I guess so. Maybe a Witch just needs a while to mature completely and this is what happened", her companion theorised; the blonde had no idea there was another conversation taking place right next to her, though. They still never mentioned this little bit of their powers; it was a bit... soothing to have something only the Akemi-sister's knew about. Something pleasant that no one could take from them.

Homura shook off the thought and focussed on the conversation again. Both of them, for that matter.

"Lilly mentioned that a month is already plenty of time for a Witch to be alive; she probably matured long before our first leap together. However, we had to keep a close eye on you just in case you did not take well to the whole thing."

While the other girl cast a surprised and somewhat understanding glance her way, Homura went to respond to her sister: _"I see. If you don't want to risk it, that is fine with me. Although I'm curious what kind of food Charlotte is interested in."_

Being in the blond Magical Girl's close proximity was Lilly's own decision; her sister was old enough to think about things like these properly. The Sweets Witch, on the other hand, was freshly created; maybe giving her cheese would work as well as it worked on Momoe Nagisa, who held a particular fondness for this particular foodstuff.

"Oh... I see. That makes sense."

Thankfully, her companion gave a neutral response and seemed fine with dropping the matter; that helped quite a bit, seeing that the time traveler was still not very good at keeping two conversations at once. It was very fortunate that those two had not spoken at the same time.

 _'Um... how angry will you be if I say 'human souls'?'_

Which was enough to make Homura shift gears in an instant. Lilly did not make jokes about that kind of thing, which meant that...

 _"You fed someone to her?"_

 _'...Yes.'_

In other words, they had another problem. If Kyubey noticed what happened, getting Madoka to work with them was all but impossible. Lilly should actually be aware of something like this, so maybe she made sure it did not happen?

 _'And... um... how angry do you get when I tell you I had a little talk with Kyubey?'_

This time, the Magical Girl felt one of her eyebrows twitch in slight annoyance. They both knew she could not actually get angry, so her Witch should really not push this joke when the topic was serious. _"Put that off for a moment; from what I saw, Charlotte can be fed with regular food just as well. Why do you want to feed her with humans?"_

The problem was not Homura's view on this; she did not really care for as long as it was no one in Madoka's proximity or the gentle pinkette herself. Still, Mami would object and Momoe Nagisa... she was not sure what her reaction would be. Lilly became a bit sheepish, but replied nonetheless: _'Because she feels like a heavy eater. I can't say for sure, but one human soul is probably a lot for us irregular Witches. Char gobbled it up and took seconds... and I get the feeling there is a lot of empty space in her stomach even beyond her feeling full.'_

 _"Seconds?"_

In context, this did not sound good.

 _'Yes. At least she is no picky eater, so there is no corpse to be found anymore.'_

This started to get really macabre. Homura did not let the thought get to her face, though; memories of the large serpent bursting forth from the little doll returned to her mind and explained the unasked question about Charlotte's capacities.

 _"I see. We will need to adress that later; now tell me what you have been talking about with Kyubey."_


	68. Change of Plans II

_"Are you sure this will work? We have no guarantee that Kyubey won't form the contract with her anyway."_

Homura did not like what her sister was doing there; not because it was stupid, but because it was dangerous. Lilly apparently tried to trick the Incubator with its very own methods; once it saw through this, the timeline would be over. Of course the time traveler would take precautions and watch the people most prone to become involved... but there was only so much she could do.

At this point, the two of them were back at Mami's flat and sat together with Candel, each of them with a cup of tea; seeing that there had been no fight with Walpurgis, Homura did not need to steal as much from the military this time around. She had some more time at hand, although she needed to leave in a bit. On the other hand, was it even necessary to kill all those girls for this attempt? It was usually Kyubey that brought them in to interrupt the plan, after all.

Except for Mikuni, of course. This one came by because she could see the future; on the other hand however, would this not mean that her arrival meant they were on the way to yet another failure? If the girl formed a contract, that was. It happened not all that often and Homura killed her off just in the last timeline; twice in a row had yet to happen, but it might.

 _'It doesn't do that unless we give it a reason for distrust. Besides, the chance of getting to gather more energy on Earth will probably tempt the rat. I'm a Witch, so I naturally know more about Witches than Kyubey does; it will get to the same conclusion. Besides... are you heading out soon?'_

Her sister was in a thoughtful mood, which the Magical Girl understood well enough. They decided for this timeline to be the last one. If Lilly's plan worked out, everything would be fine. The tiny voice of doubt that managed to get through her bulwark of stubborness was quelled the moment it spoke up; it was a bit annoying, but sadly the only choice she had. If Homura allowed herself to doubt her path, she would eventually push herself into a downward spiral; the only thing preventing this from happening was her hope... and, since somewhere in the last timeline, she also trusted in her Witch's capabilities. There was no place for doubt. She had to leave that to Lilly, alongside all the sadness and self-loathing.

However, it was probably time to answer her sister.

 _"I probably won't. Those girls will stay away for as long as Kyubey doesn't manipulate them into coming here. If one of them arrives in Mitakihara, we will know that your plan failed. If it's Mikuni, we also know that you quickly need to think about another wish for Madoka to make."_

 _'Or how to get her to make the wish I want her to make. Anyways, I came to about the same conclusion; good thing we think alike.'_

The Magical Girl did not comment on that; they were the same person, so that much was obvious. However, her Witch had raised a valid point as well; it might just as well be the case that she failed in bringing Madoka to make the right wish. On that note however, Homura realised that she had no idea whether Lilly actually found something suitable.

 _"What kind of wish do you want her to make?"_

There was a moment of silence the time traveler used to take another sip of her tea; Mami was talking to Candel, probably about the barrier the doll was in the process of making. She did not pay much attention to the discussion. Now that they were back to something resembling a routine, the small bout of excitement over all those changes had subsided; because of that, the other Magical Girl started to become less interesting to Homura again. She thought she could not save the blonde at all before Lilly appeared, but even her Witch thought that most of this had been luck.

 _'Oh, right. I want her to wish for an incorruptible Soul Gem. Seeing how much potential she has, that wish should be very easy; with a Soul Gem that can't be corrupted however, she can never become a Witch. Problem solved. In the best case, it might even be created in a way that just throws out all the taint the moment it is created, where I can eat it. Besides of that, the contingency wish is for her to ask for the power to return one's soul to the body. That might be a bit more troublesome, especially with the wording, but it will do as a fallback plan.'_

That sounded reasonable, although Homura had her doubts about this 'best case' Lilly was talking about. Things rarely went this well. However, she had to agree that this was a good wish. And so easy to think of, why did the time traveler herself not notice? Probably because she never thought of beating Kyubey this way.

 _"That sounds alright, although I hope that we won't need the contingency plan. Too much could go wrong with a wish like that."_

Such as the soul returning, but its tainting continuing nonetheless. There were many possibilities and Homura preferred not to think about them right now; she suppressed a sigh before taking another sip from her tea. _"On another note, what are you doing right now? Candel already started working on the barrier and might need your help."_

Lilly kept quiet for a few seconds. There was a wave of pleasant surprise coming from her, though; this made guessing the reason for this interruption quite obvious. _'Oh, is she? Wonderful. I'm still scouting around the city to get my hands on something to eat; my stomach demands it. Considering that it is a little after noon... mhm, I will be back in about two or three hours.'_

So her Witch was hungry. It was not surprising, considering the state she was in right after their leap; bringing this many people must have been very straining. She could not even bring Kyoko all the way... which reminded Homura of something she had wanted to ask.

 _"I see. Although I'm still wondering what happened to Sakura Kyoko after you left her behind."_

This prompted more of a weird muddle of emotions, ranging from a bit of annoyance to a tinge of sadness. Lilly was obviously not happy with what happened there at all. _'I... I'm not sure, okay? I pushed her away so I could at least conserve some energy and bring everyone else. We can get her any time we want, after all; getting Nagisa was a stroke of luck.'_

 _"Tell me anyway. Additionally, do you have any idea what might have happened if you tried to push her further?"_

The time traveler was admittedly curious at this point. She never really thought about this whole thing, seeing that there was never any need to question it. On top of that, the time spent pondering could better be used for preparations. Now that she had Lilly, however, there was someone who loved to think about this kind of thing with her. Granted, Homura might have loved it as well, were her mind not dedicated to an unrelated goal. She emptied her cup and accepted one of Candeloro's cookies, while she was at it.

 _'Okay, first things first: I do believe that I could have powered the remaining distance with myself instead of pushing her off, but that was out of the question. Towards the end, it felt as if the whole journey started to consume me as fuel. We got out before anything harmful happened, though.'_

 _'Secondly, I think that her soul was lost in the ether. We weren't close enough to our destination when I pushed her out.'_

 _"I see."_

That was about everything she could say to an explanation like this. So their inherent energy could be used as well... probably in form of the soul. Homura cast the thought aside and decided to end this conversation now; Lilly probably needed to concentrate.

 _"I think I will go and prepare some more explosives now; you should focus on your hunt."_

 _'Alright. See you later.'_

And with that, the other presence in her mind faded away.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Nagisa was quite glad that Yuri brought her friend back after a while. She had been a good girl and did her homework while the Witches were gone, so now she had time to play with... well, everyone said that Char was her little sister, so she could not really say friend. It was a bit weird though, seeing that she never had a sister before.

On top of that, Yuri also told her that she must not show Char to her mother and her aunt... or anyone, now that Nagisa thought about it. The doll was currently napping in her lap while the grade-schooler was watching TV; the show was boring though, she had already seen it before. The young Magical Girl really wondered why she should not introduce Char to her family once...

 _Wait... hm... Yuri-san said that everything was un-happened, so is Mama still sick? Nagisa should go and check._

Her homework was about done, so she could go out and visit her mother; but what to do about Char? Yuri never told her not to do something without a reason... and she had been raised to respect her elders, so Nagisa would do as she was told.

Her sister was still sleeping, so she gently set her aside and got up from the couch; following that, she went to get the bag the doll was carried around in earlier. Yuri left it at the Momoe-residence just in case the two of them wanted to go somewhere.

"Huh? Uh... where are you going, Nagisa?"

The sleepy voice belonged to Char, who was rubbing her eyes and looking after the the Magical Girl; holding up the bag, she threw a big smile back at her sister. "We go visiting Mama."

This, in turn, made the Witch perk up and return the smile. "Yay!"

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

 _Well, that was a weird first day. Nagisa already healed her mother and seems to get along with Char._

In fact, Lilly only learned this particular fact in the morning, when she went to retrieve Charlotte; while the human-shaped Witch was at it, she also sent Nagisa to train with Mami and Homura. Now that Kyoko would not be around, they would need a new formation; not having anyone proficient in melee combat might be a problem, though. On the other hand, Mami was a martial artist and very skilled. They would manage.

Right now however, Mortal World's Witch had to think about something different; it was time to put up a new barrier, this time hopefully for a bit longer than a week. Today however, there were three of them; while Lilly was busy looking for an acceptable place, both dolls had been holding onto her shoulders. Candel explained what they were doing on the way and Char looked just as thrilled as the other two had been on their first attempt.

Now, finally, she found a good place for two different things to attempt: for one, Lilly wanted to put her barrier on top of a skyscraper; the downtown area of Mitakihara was perfect for that. Addtionally however, she wanted to try putting an entrance to this barrier on ground-level; if this worked, they had both a good place for observations as well as an easy means of entering it.

The three of them stood on top of one of the largest buildings the city had; right now however, Lilly was still looking around just in case. Char held the barrier Candel made, eyeing it with visible interest while the older doll explained what she did.

"Can you feel it? I made a lot of Lilly's lilies because she likes them; and there is my kitchen and our bedrooms and the great hall is right there as well."

Sensing the insides of the barrier, especially when it was still as small as a marble, was still easy for the Witch that made it; sadly, Homulilly lacked a good part of that ability. She could not sense any more than that this was her barrier as much as Candeloro's.

"Oh, it looks nice! But you don't have things for baking there, Candel! And everything is so dark!"

Char rolled the marble around between her little arms, then opened her mouth and threw it inside. It has to be mentioned that Lilly considered asking what this was about, but her fellow Witch would have her reasons; the oldest one was quite surprised, though. However, losing her temper about something like this was unnecessary; she could get angry if it turned out that Char really just ate their barrier.

However, the doll did not chew; she just tilted her head a bit and Lilly could feel magic working inside her. It was likely that the proto-barrier Candel created was now altered to fit all three of them.

"And some red here and more white there... and some purple for Lilly's place and some more blue for Candel... and more light... done!"

The youngest of their group started to shine in purplish-yellowish-pinkish-whitish... very weird light that exploded outward after a moment. Neither Lilly nor Candel objected, seeing that they had wanted to put it up anyway. Around them formed the familiar sight of a wide meadow with a long table in its center, the alterations made in the last timeline mostly in place. This time however, they were arranged differently: the door to Lilly's part of the barrier was opposite to the entrance and had a stylized red spider lily on it; Candel's and Char's places were to the left and right respectively, although the latter was just a small indentation in the wall instead of an actual corridor. The former was marked with a teacup that emitted a rainbow towards the handle, so it was still obvious what belonged to whom.

However, things were indeed different; the Sweets Witch made the blackish fog become a swirl of colours instead, which changed in a caleidoscope-like pattern all the time. Additionally, a small stream of chocolate-milk was now flowing through the meadow, forming a circle around the table with wooden bridges leading over it. The scent of sugary sweets mixed with the flowers and created something... bizarre, at least to her human nose.

Lilly took in her surroundings a moment longer, then crouched to pat Char's head. "Well done; I like it."

"Yay!", the doll cheered before both of them were enveloped in ribbons. "Lilly is right, this is wonderful. I'm so glad you're here, Char!"

Candel pressed the three of them together happily, her feelings being similar to Lilly's. They were both happy to have their barrier back; it looked even better now, although the constantly changing colours on the walls might give their Magical Girls some trouble. Her own eyes were also human and could not really take the sight for longer amounts of time, but she was a Witch nonetheless; actual humans would probably have it far worse. Unfortunately, she needed to get out of here in order to talk to Kyubey. On the other hand, the Incubator could wait until she took a look at her own place.

"You can start on Char's room, I guess... once you let us go, Candel."

The ribbons were already retracted and the Dress-Up Witch quickly grabbed Charlotte before storming over to the indentation; the younger doll was pulled after her with a speed that kept her in the air... although, now that Lilly actually noticed, it was Candeloro who was hovering. The older doll did not touch the ground at all ever since taking off right next to her; apparently, she found the ability to levitate within her barrier.

Speaking of which, now that Lilly had eaten a bit and felt better... maybe she should try that as well. But not here, where someone could see her fail. Mortal World's Witch suppressed a sigh and got moving towards the far door. Char's delighted squeal already died down, indicating that both dolls had now reached the place and got to work. With two of them capable of shaping a barrier, this would probably get a lot faster.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

After a quick peek in her bedroom and bathroom -which turned out to be the very same as Candel originally made, safe for the now purple walls-, Lilly was already on her way out. The dolls were gleefully digging further into the fabric of their barrier, expanding it as they went. It was very nice that only the process of creation needed so much energy; keeping the barrier up was actually quite cheap in terms of cost, although expanding it might draw on Candel's reserves a bit. She came with a lot more energy than Lilly, seeing that only Mortal World's Witch had to make an effort during their leap through time. At least it sped up all of this.

Unfortunately, it also decreased the time she had until Char needed another meal. The doll was still content, but it was just a matter of time; Lilly really needed to talk to the others about this. So far, only Homura knew.

Everything around her became dark for a moment, then Lilly stood on top of the large building again; she glanced left and right, but found nothing of interest. Too bad, it would have been nice if Kyubey had already been waiting for her. She was growing anxious at this point, relying on the Incubator agreeing to her offer like that.

 _'Good afternoon, Mortal World's Witch. I am afraid I forgot to ask your name yesterday.'_

Ah, so there it was. Lilly was not really surprised, seeing that the rat tended to appear out of nowhere all the time. The Witch turned her head and acknowledged Kyubey with a nod. "You're right; my bad for not introducing myself properly. I am Homulilly, Mortal World's Witch. Did you come to a conclusion?"

It returned the nod while walking up to her and taking a seat in front of Lilly's feet. _'I did. Your offer is quite promising indeed, so I am inclined to accept it. However, I insist on an additionally clause to the agreement; namely, that I am still allowed to contract Kaname Madoka if she is in imminent danger.'_

That sounded reasonable enough. Lilly nodded once more. "Fine with me, as long as you don't cause this 'imminent danger' yourself to get out of the agreement.

 _'Duly noted and accepted. It is good that we could agree on that clause so quickly.'_

Of course Lilly and Homura would make sure to guard Madoka, so it would never come into effect anyway. Aside from that, hearing the Incubator agree to her proposal was an enormous relief for the Witch right now; with that out of the way, she could start the actual work. "You're right about that. Anything else you wanted to adress?"

She could not help herself but smile while the Incubator replied in the negative; this was perfect. Now there was only one thing left to do, which was to meet with Madoka and gain her trust. Considering the kind of person she was, that should be manageable; on the other hand, there was still this issue with Charlotte's diet... but that could be adressed right now. Lilly nodded at Kyubey once more before turning away. "A pleasure to work with you; I have to go and get some stuff done, though. If there is anything, you will probably find me somewhere around town."

 _'Very well. You seem very knowledgeable, Homulilly; I am glad we get along.'_

 _Liar. You can't be glad because you need to feel joy for that._

She kept that thought to herself, but looked back anyway; the roof was empty. Sighing, Lilly stopped time and vanished just as well.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

For now, they decided to work on Momoe's abilities in combat; specifically, this meant that Homura kept instructing the girl and Mami moved around the target with her ribbons. Granted, it was probably more difficult to aim a trumpet than a regular rifle, but their charge was certainly getting the hang of it. So far, she managed to hit the still targets as well as those moving in a pattern. However, there was a certain issue with those bubbles she produced. The blonde noticed it, just as Homura did. The raven-haired girl was also the one to bring it up: "Your bubbles are rather slow. Can you speed them up?"

Granted, their speed was not important when the girl could just generate a whole stream of explosive bubbles; Mami reasoned that creating so many could not be good for Momoe's reserves though, just like a few hundred flintlock rifles were not good for her own. That was why she tended to use only as much as she needed; it was far less straining.

"Huuuh...", the girl responded while turning her trumpet around and looking inside, obviously lost. "I don't know. Nagisa never had magic before."

"Do not worry about it too much, Momoe-chan", Mami noted with a reassuring smile. She did not like how sad the younger girl looked there. "I am sure that if it is possible, it will come to you over time. For now, you should continue working on your aim."

Thankfully, a single bubble would always make its way straight forward; that allowed them to even have this session. If they just floated around like... like bubbles, the regular kind, the whole thing would be for naught. Momoe nodded reluctantly before bringing the trumpet back to her lips and focussing.

In fact, Mami liked how serious their charge was taking this. Of course there was also the childish glee the blonde could remember from her first days, probably amplified by Momoe being but ten years old. Nonetheless, she actually accepted that she had to train properly without any complaints. Inhaling audibly through her nose, Momoe blew into the mouthpiece two times in quick succession; two bubbles left the instrument one after the other as a result, flying towards one of the stationary targets; they were about as fast as a regular person in a comfortable running speed, far slower than actual bullets from the veterans would be.

Still, both projectiles hit the mark they drew upon one of the metal barrels; the first one dented the surface, the second hit the same spot and ripped a small hole into it.

 _Those bubbles are incredibly potent..._

Considering that the complete stream was capable of ripping a Witch to shreds if it hit her properly, they found themselves a fairly powerful addition to the team indeed. It was still no good to think about how young Momoe was -which implied that she probably would not live long enough to enter middle school-, but there was nothing they could do about it now. From what Mami learned about the girl before, she would form the contract anyway; being under their wing was probably the best thing that could happen to her at this point.

The familiar feeling of a Witch's aura interrupted her train of thought; that was Yuri without doubt, seeing that the sensation appeared out of nowhere and seemed rather close. Aside from that however, the blonde had found that there were certain differences from one eldritch entity to another; with that in mind, she actually finally managed to tell Yuri apart from regular Witches. Candel's presence was barely noticeable anyways... but now she needed to learn the signs that indicated Charlotte as well.

"Oh, is that Yuri-san?", Momoe wondered after a moment and lowered her trumpet, which led to Homura putting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "She is; however, you're not supposed to stop. Keep practicing."

"'kay!"

Mami and Homura exchanged a glance while Momoe returned to her practice; the time traveler moved her head to indicate the blonde to follow, which she did. In fact, she was rather glad to get away from moving barrels around for a bit; her ribbons set down the targets and vanished while their master moved towards where Yuri's presence was coming from. The Witch was leaning on one of the walls surrounding this rather open area. It had originally been a park, but it was deserted by now; the industrial district was not far away, so getting empty barrels from abandoned factories was rather easy.

"The barrier is set and Char gave her a little extra", was what they were greeted with. Yuri waved while speaking, which was about the only actual 'hello' they would probably get right now. Mami nodded with a friendly smile and Homura did the former, albeit not the latter. "What brings you here right now, Lilly? Did anything happen?"

"Several things, actually", the Witch answered her sister while keeping her eyes on Momoe. "For one, I like how she works. That's not important right now, though... what I wanted to talk about was Char's diet and our plans this time around."

Mami was not sure why, but Yuri's tone made her suspect something rather wrong with those topics; she felt her eyes narrow a little bit while Homura went to lean next to her sister. The blond Magical Girl did the same on Yuri's other side and answered her: "Is there any trouble with it? You usually do not go to such lengths to talk about that kind of thing."

"Yes, I don't do it usually because I don't need to. This time however... ugh, Char eats about everything up to and including humans; unfortunately, she likes eating humans almost as much as her cheese."

Mami blinked and felt her mouth fall open; she quickly closed it, but it did not help the shock to dissipate. The blonde felt really cold all of a sudden, all the curiousity and worry exchanged with dread. Had she just heard that right? Charlotte, this sweet little doll, wanted to eat human beings?

"H-Huh? T-That... but... we... we can't...", she started stammering, only to be interrupted by Homura. "I personally don't care as long as she doesn't go on random killing sprees and stays away from people important to our task."

This only horrified her more, which did not go unnoticed; the other Magical Girl closed her eyes for a moment and added something: "We are working with _Witches_ , Mami-san. The only reason Lilly does not eat people is because she doesn't like the taste; we were already lucky that Candeloro has no interest in the matter, either. Our only other choices are to feed her a lot of other things, which we don't have the budget for, or put her to death."

"The latter being out of the question because Nagisa wouldn't want it", Yuri added once her sister was finished. All the while, Mami tried her hardest to get her brain back to work; she had no idea how to respond to this aside from an indignant 'but this is wrong!'. Sadly, something like this would only bring the twins to raise their eyebrows; they defined right and wrong very differently than the blonde did.

 _What do I even care about people I never met?_ , a thought struck in her mind, only to be discarded very quickly. She did not want to think like that at all.

However, Homura was right in her analysis; the possibility had always been there... but what could she do about it, now that it happened? Generally, the blonde was all for forbidding Charlotte from feeding on humans; she just got the feeling that she was the only one thinking like that. And to make matters worse, Yuri apparently read those thoughts off her face again. "I know you don't like it, but it can't be helped. I still need to figure out how often Char needs to be fed that way, but we probably couldn't afford feeding her regularly. So either we resort to stealing or this; if we stay with feeding her people though, I can at least choose people that deserve it. Think about it, aren't there criminals not properly punished or protected for some reason? Would it not be better if they were gone?"

This... this was actually a good point, Mami had to admit. A moment later however, she understood very well just what the human-shaped Witch was trying to do there and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You just want me to acknowledge that murder is alright if it happens to people who deserve it. I do not think so, Yuri-san; there is always an appropriate punishment."

She felt how shallow those words sounded herself, but would not let on about it. By now, Mami had left the wall and stood in front of the raven-haired girl with a stern expression; they were discussing about the lifes of regular people here, after all. In this moment however, a calm voice interjected with a very chilling argument: "The Yakuza abduct women to make them prostitutes or slaves; the drug-dealers with them go about their trade without ever being caught. At least half of the police is bribed to let them off the hook if they do get noticed."

Homura's gaze was as cold as usual, but Mami could very easily read the question she asked her with those purple eyes; there was no need to actually ask whether this was 'appropriate punishment'... because no, it was not.

Still, murdering people was wrong.

But what could she say now? Homura and Yuri were not less right because of the fact, so she had to concede the point. Not that it made the blonde feel any less dirty when she lowered her head. "I guess you are right... but please do it only when you have to."

Two months ago, she would have just went to shoot the Sweets Witch dead; right now however, Mami could not bring herself to do so. All those around her were there because she went with Yuri; doing this would cost her everything she gained over the past month. If Mami had to choose between being righteous and not being lonely, she did not need to think for long.

Just why could life never give her any easy choices?


	69. Change of Plans III

Sadly, the whole situation did not leave her thoughts until it was time to go to bed; Mami was not particularly happy about that.

Granted, neither was she happy about what she agreed to earlier that day, but there was very little the blonde could do about it now. And as much as she hated to admit it... her friends were worth more than her ideals.

Mami was lying in her bed at this very moment, staring at the ceiling with her hands folded over her chest. Sleeping like this was bothersome because she would have a bit of trouble breathing, but she did not feel like setting her hands aside yet. She was too busy thinking about whether her disregarding lifes for her personal convenience made her a bad person. It probably did, but just how would that matter now?

At this point, the Magical Girl knew that she could no longer live an ordinary life. She tried hard to do so for a long time, only to find it impossible; she was doomed to hunt Witches forever, a task that would get ever more difficult the longer she survived.

 _Maybe Kyoko... actually does the right thing? Generally, at least..._

Working against society was probably wrong... but maybe working aside it instead of from within would do the trick? The blonde sighed and rolled onto her side, unwilling to entertain this train of thought any longer; the fact remained that she was unwilling to chide Yuri for her decisions.

"Homura-san?"

Her voice was rather soft, mostly to not wake the other girl in case she was already asleep. After a moment of quiet rustling however, the raven-haired girl answered in her usual calm: "Yes?"

This was something Mami could not solve by herself, so she might as well ask the other girl about it. "How are you coping with all of this? I mean... how did you manage to not be bothered by it?"

There was a silence between them for a few moments, but the blonde could not bring herself to turn around and look; she would probably get to see the same calm expression Homura always had, anyway.

"If I forced myself to care about this kind of thing, I would die. With everything I saw, continuing to feel properly about it would have definitely killed me long ago; I need to carry on until I succeed, so I cast that away. You might end up the same if you survive long enough, Mami-san."

Oh.

"I... I see..."

She already suspected something like that... but for the other girl to be so broken she had actually lost her feelings because the alternative would be death... that sounded horrible. Yet at the same time...

"Still, it might at least help to cope with this cruel world we live in..."

"Probably."

The blonde did not get more of an answer, but this one word told her more than enough; she rolled onto her back again and returned to stare at the ceiling. The thought was quite prominent on her mind right now, that maybe it was a good idea to become a bit more like the other Magical Girl.

 **. . .**

Madoka was just about done with her studying when someone knocked... on the window.

The pinkette looked up with a confused look, but figured that she probably imagined it and went back to packing up her books. It was about time for bed, so... there was the knocking again. Three knocks in quick succession, just like before.

 _Is there... is there someone on the roof?_

That scared her; what if whoever was there wanted to rob them? But then again, would a robber really knock on her window?

 _Mhm... I should take a look first before telling Mama..._

Maybe it was just a prank from one of the children living in the neighbourhood, although she still had to find out how they managed to climb on the roof. Carefully, the middle-schooler wandered over to the smaller window and pushed back the curtain.

The sight was not what she expected. A black-haired girl stood on the other side, leaning against the wall to the left and looking up at the sky. She was really pretty.

However, the girl did not react to the increase of light or Madoka's staring; she just kept standing there and it did not seem as if anyone else around. That made the pinkette admittedly curious, so she moved to open her window. Even the definitely audible noises accompanying this task did not prompt a reaction, though; the other girl just kept staring upwards.

"Um... hello? Did you... knock on my window?"

The pinkette was a bit reluctant to ask, seeing that whoever this girl was seemed content with her silence; nonetheless, she stood on someone else's roof while stargazing... and there was no one else who could have knocked.

"I was wondering", a thoughtful and calm voice finally responded and the girl tore her gaze off of the sky. "I never paid much attention to the stars so far because I desire Earth so much. Now that I took a moment to slow down and look, the endless realm above me is actually really pretty and metaphorical. It's a place full of possibilities and chances, yet most of it is just dark and dead... sorry, I'm babbling too much right now."

She was given a small smile and the stranger motioned for the sky above once again. "Yes, I knocked on your window; however, I actually just came to talk to you and introduce myself. You have to know, we will probably see each other more often from this day onward."

That sounded a bit weird and Madoka started to get a bad feeling; on the other hand however, she was amazed by how thoughtful her... 'visitor' had been just before. Who was she?

"Um... I see... but why are you standing on our roof instead of coming through the door?"

The pinkette's question prompted a chuckle, followed by a shrug from the stranger. "It seemed like a good approach to me and still does. I'm not a normal person and my presence would probably scare your brother; aside from that, I mostly prefer to drop by after nightfall. Your parents would probably get worried if I only appeared this late."

There was a moment of quiet the confused girl used to order her thoughts; she started to get curious, although it was a bit chilly standing in front of the window with just her yellow pyjamas. Madoka thought about inviting the girl inside, but ultimately decided against doing that right now. They were not that familiar with each other... and she would rather not let a stranger into her home this late and without her mother knowing.

"Anyway, I'm happy to meet you, Kaname-san. My name is Akemi Yuri."

The other girl -Akemi, apparently- pushed herself off the wall so they could look at each other more easily. Now that more light fell on her face from the inside, the pinkette noticed how pale she actually was. However, those purple eyes sparked with a friendly warmth, which made her take the offered hand while starting to smile herself. "I'm Kaname Madoka, nice to meet you."

They stood like that for a moment longer, then let go. Akemi nodded at herself and cast a glance to the side. "I guess this is enough for today, especially when I dropped by completely unannounced. Do you mind me coming here again?"

 _She wants to leave already? But... she just introduced herself..._

Thinking of that, Madoka had to admit that Akemi stated to have come for just that; still, she would have liked to talk to her some more. On the other hand, she said she would come again... that sounded nice, especially because the pinkette was curious. "Of course not."

"Great. See you tomorrow, then."

She was given another smile... and all of a sudden, the black-haired girl was gone. From one moment to the next, she just blinked out of existence.

"Huh?"

Madoka rubbed her eyes, then leaned out of the window to look left and right; no sign of Akemi. Did she just imagine all of this?

 _Huh..._

Reluctantly, the remaining girl closed her window shut and continued to wonder.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Much to her surprise, when she had just finished studying the next day, there was another knock on her window. So it had not been a dream after all! Madoka quickly went to pull the curtains away and opened up; Akemi observed her with a weak smile, but did not say anything until she was done.

"Good evening, Kaname-san."

"Good evening, Akemi-san."

The pinkette was both surprised and happy at the same time; she actually convinced herself of all this being just a very vivid fantasy, but now Akemi visited her again. The black-haired girl leaned against the wall just like last night. "I hope I'm not intruding on some of your business?"

"Ah, no. Not at all."

Madoka pondered for a moment and decided -after a chilly breeze tickled her nose and made her shiver- to not wear her pyjamas before bed starting the next day; she would definitely get sick otherwise.

"That's good to hear. Anyway, I remember your confusion from yesterday. Ready to hear why I'm not coming through the door?"

 _Ghost? Vampire?_ , her mind provided unhelpfully in the very same moment and the pinkette quickly discarded those thoughts; it was not nice to think about someone else like that. However, she also nodded and smiled. "Yes, if it doesn't bother you."

"It's fine with me."

And suddenly, she was gone. Just like the night before, the girl vanished from sight without any warning and made Madoka push her head out of the window to look for her. She flinched heavily over the voice coming from behind her: "Do you mind if I come in?"

Turning around, the middle-schooler found her... her visitor standing in the middle of her room, hands folded behind her back and with an expectant smirk. The pinkette opened her mouth, but did not manage to get any sounds out. How could anyone move so fast?

"I take your silence as a yes; don't worry, I won't stay for long today, either."

At long last, Madoka got her mouth closed again and took a deep breath to calm down; this person was strange, but quite nice. Everything was fine. "Um... I... I see. H-How did you do that, Akemi-san?"

"Magic."

They looked at each other for a moment while the pinkette took that in; in the meantime, she unconciously moved out of the wind coming in through her window. "Magic?"

"Yes, magic", Akemi confirmed with a dismissive gesture. "I'm a Witch, a being born from curses and negativity; my kin hunts humans for food, although I don't do that."

 **. . .**

Lilly knew she was venturing into dangerous territory at this point; if she let on about too much at once, Madoka would definitely get either scared or too interested. If she let on about too little, she would probably come off as just plain weird. Granted, neither of those three could really alter the course she set by now, but gaining the pinkette's trust was important. Seeing how her eyes widened over the part where Witches hunt humans, she probably should have left it out for the time being.

"Don't worry", the eldritch being noted with another dismissive motion. "Mitakihara is safe at this point; I keep killing any regular Witch I get my hands on and there are a few others to help me."

"Oh... but... isn't that dangerous?"

Considering that she had no immunity to pain and only average healing-abilities... "Not really. Not for me, at least. The Magical Girls don't have it that easy, though."

She dropped the term on purpose at this point; just as expected, Madoka's eyes got this interested shine and the other girl clasped her hands curiously. "Magical Girls?"

Homulilly smirked and hoped that her explanations would do the trick.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Hey, Madoka! Wake up!"

"Huh?"

The pinkette blinked at them with visible confusion, which only furthened Hitomi's worry; her friend had been spacing out almost the whole way for no apparent reason. There had to be something on her mind. Sadly, Hitomi did not have the faintest idea what it could be; her only guesses were the next test and romance. However, Kaname Madoka never was as deep in thought before; this had to mean something.

"Jeez, what's going on with you? You weren't paying attention to us at all!", Sayaka went on with a good-natured smile even while lecturing the smaller girl. Then however, the blunette's lips curled into a more teasing smirk. "Don't tell me you have your eyes on a boy? Is it a cute one?"

"Ah, hey! Stop saying that, Sayaka-chan; I don't have any boys I like..."

"So it would be a girl?"

Hitomi was tempted to chime in here, but knowing that her friend was not serious stopped her; of course two girls could not be in love with each other, but there was no need to remind them of that when they were just playing around.

 **. . .**

On top of a large building several hundred meters away, two raven-haired girls were keeping their eyes on the group of students. Even when her sister apparently got an agreement with Kyubey, Homura wanted to keep an eye on Madoka nonetheless; just in case something happened.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?"

She referred to the way Lilly just told the pinkette about Magical Girls and Witches the previous evening; once again, her eldritch counterpart told no one else. "Even when you emphasized it properly, she might get the wrong idea and start looking for Kyubey."

"She won't", the Witch's voice replied as calmly as Homura's own. Neither of them put down the binoculars even for a moment, so they could not look at each other. "I explained that it's dangerous, so she will be fine for now; you can answer questions she might have once you transferred in. Just let me talk to her some more so I can influence her decisions and we will be fine."

Nothing ever went this smoothly and Homura knew it.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

As it turned out, she was wrong. Everything went as smoothly as Lilly said it would; the few Witches that escaped her sister were hunted by the Magical Girls and nothing happened to Madoka at all.

Almost a full week had passed and there was not the slightest difficulty to be seen; Kyubey kept tending to other business, although she found it checking on the gentle pinkette at times. It did not do anything else though, so the time-traveler refrained from shooting it so far.

Now was the day she transferred in and everything was still going just as Lilly expected; Madoka was understandably surprised and started to talk to her once she brought up her excuse of needing medicine. Everything went far too smooth... just why was nothing happening to derail their plan? It always did.

Of course it was nice to have to be able to talk to her very one friend properly and not having to scare her... but something was off. At this point however, the Magical Girl could only wait and see what happened.

 **. . .**

Calming the waves of her thoughts, Homulilly kept lying on the soft carpet. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, forcing the chaos that was her to become at least a bit more orderly; then the Witch pushed herself upwards and began to float above the ground.

Her eyes remained fixated on the ceiling, but she could feel how the pressure on her back became weaker and vanished altogether; the feeling of joy over her success was quickly quelled, though. The bump on the back of her head really did not need company, which it would get if she lost her calm again over the same reason.

Lilly needed to concentrate and will herself further upwards; her body complied and rose in altitude without any trouble. Good.

Mortal World's Witch continued to play around with the height of her flight in an attempt to get a better grasp on the ability; it did not come as naturally to this human shell than it would to her own body. However, training could make up for such things and she would not complain; seeing Candel fly around their barrier like a fish in water without any trouble only motivated her to train more.

At the same time however, Lilly knew that everything was progressing as she wanted it to. Kyubey really kept to their agreement and Madoka's trust was starting to build up. Now that Homura transferred in, the pinkette was starting to become her friend, which was even better; there was only one question now: how would this timeline go wrong?

It was impossible for everything to go perfectly fine just because the Incubator played along; although it might be argued that Kyubey itself was directing trouble away from her to ensure the human-shaped Witch remained undisturbed.

The thoughts stopped and turned back to maneuvering Homulilly around her room; she touched down onto the ground very softly, courtesy to the amount of care she gave especially this part of her flight. Progress was made day by day, although it would take a little while until she was anywhere near as good as Candeloro. At least this levitation did not require a lot of energy like her own Telekinesis; it was probably something this barrier already included originally, seeing that the two of them made it. Whatever additions Charlotte made, they did not change anything about that property.

Lilly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling once more; it was of a slowly rolling purple, just like the walls were. Only the floor had been laid out with a fluffy, red carpet... mostly because Mortal World's Witch refused to dress herself in her own room and lying on wood or stone or metal in this body would be both uncomfortable and cold. Not that either of the dolls bothered with her state of undress, seeing that they, too, were not wearing any clothes.

Thankfully, Mami accepted Char's new diet; the blonde did not say anything about it after this initial discussion, but Homura mentioned that they talked about it afterwards. Lilly also told Nagisa what was going on with her little sister, mentioning that she planned to only feed bad people to the younger Witch; the elementary-schooler loved the idea, probably not fully realising what was really going on. She did not correct her.

Still, Lilly could not help herself but worry about the near future; even when everything went smoothly, this feeling of dread did not stop. Something was bound to happen, she was sure of that.


	70. What You Are in The Dark

Apparently, she had been wrong. Nothing happened. There was not the slightest disturbance in her planning; no Kyoko suddenly appearing in Mitakihara, no Mikuni Oriko jumping out of the shadows to assassinate Madoka... it was, all in all, a really uneventful three weeks. Not that Lilly stopped watching out, but she was growing antsy by now. Kyubey did not make any advances and left her free to do whatever she wanted so far; everything was going according to plan, so there _had_ to be something going wrong.

Yet nothing did.

Sighing heavily, Mortal World's Witch looked down on the city she had been living in ever since she was born; she went on patrol once again when night fell half an hour ago, although there was no Witch to be found right now. Just like last time, 'word' of her destructiveness got around and many eldritch beings fled; those left were either newborns that had no idea, or older Witches who either did not care about it or did not believe their peers. Suffice to say, this city was cleared of her kin's influence almost completely; on the human side however, things were progressing more slowly. Char apparently talked to Nagisa and insisted on really just eating 'bad people'... and only when she was hungry. That was too bad, seeing that Mortal World's Witch planned on mopping up the trash left; at this rate, she would not be finished until Walpurgis.

Maybe they had the time to continue cleaning up afterwards; with the strongest of all Magical Girls at their side, victory should be easily achieved.

Speaking of which, talking to Madoka was going well; the pinkette sucked up every bit of knowledge about Magical Girls and Witches like a sponge, becoming cautious yet excited about the prospect of forming a contract. Lilly made sure she would not do it by herself and was quite happy with the overall result. Asides from that, Homura also got along with the gentle girl once again; they were unfortunately very far from dating unlike two timelines ago and more on the way to being good friends... but she would not complain. Her sister was happy with that.

Right into her musing however, Mortal World's Witch was hit by a familiar sensation and stopped. She completely forgot the time, it was just a week until Walpurgis. What she smelled right now could only be this one being she actually wanted to meet again. Elsa Maria had spawned.

 _Oh... I completely forgot about her._

Nonetheless, realising that she could finally wrap things up with the Shadow Witch made a tiny smile find its way onto her lips; Lilly was glad to find closure on this front as well. Of all those of her kin she executed, this one might have actually been pleasant company despite being a regular. All the others were twisted or aggressive and would never reach out to her... but Elsa Maria did. This gesture alone was enough for Homulilly to deem her special.

Her heart started to beat faster in anticipation as everything around her became monochrome.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Finding the barrier was the easiest part. It was far upwards on a larger building within the construction site, quite a bit away from the usual routes; the other Witch was seeking solitude... or was resting up there for the time being.

When Lilly entered, there was a shimmer of surprise coming from where she knew Elsa Maria to reside, atop the large statue dominating the barrier. That might also be because Mortal World's Witch came in from above and landed no fifty meters from her person of interest. What she did not expect, however, was the mind-numbing horror the Shadow Witch started to emanate after a moment. That did not really fit... oh.

She forgot that her kin knew about her and communicated in such times. Elsa Maria probably already heard about Homulilly and was appropriately scared. Before she could even try to appease the other Witch, though, a group of seven shadowy snakes already attacked her to protect their mistress.

Lilly stopped time before either of the fast figures reached her, although just barely. It was aiming for her face while the others apparently wanted to pierce through different parts of her body. Sighing, the human-shaped Witch stepped aside and tried to remain as distant from Elsa Maria as she could. Maybe she could convince her somehow... because a fight was the last thing she wanted to find here.

However, even just dodging the minions and moving as distant from the other Witch as possible did not change anything; Elsa Maria remained full of fear and actually scrambled away to the opposite end of her lair. Lilly continued this for a few minutes, trying to remain calm and friendly... to no avail.

 _I guess I messed up my chances with her._

It felt weirdly heavy to know what she had to do here. While building pressure in her chest, Mortal World's Witch had her regret wash all over the barrier. It did not manage to stop the assault.

Thus, purple flames began to feed.

 **. . .**

 **. .**

 **. . .**

A short interlude that would not have fit either the previous or the next part thematically. I wanted to have this topic adressed, though.

At this point... I guess the endgame begins.


	71. Divine Light Shines

Sayaka was... not sure whether she should be angry or just confused. As much as Akemi struck her as weird, she got along well with Madoka and seemed to be alright as a person.

Still, there was this nagging feeling that the transfer student was no good; the blunette could not shake it off, no matter what. Thus, there had to be something wrong; something neither her nor Hitomi noticed so far. Sadly, she could not give a good reason... and seeing how happy Madoka seemed to be with having a new friend, she decided to keep it to herself.

Of course, that did not mean that Sayaka herself was content about her friend meeting up with the black-haired girl once again.

 **. . .**

Madoka on her part was mostly curious as to why Homura actually brought her out to the more business-oriented districts. That was not a place many students went to except for part-time work.

The Magical Girl next to her -whom she still thought to be Yuri pretending otherwise... or was she usually Homura and pretended to be Yuri? - kept quiet so far.

It was a bit weird, but the pinkette had never seen both twins at the same time; even when their senior, Tomoe, had confirmed that there were indeed two of them, Madoka was not entirely convinced.

"Where are we going, Homura-chan?"

The raven-haired girl cast a glance her way and made a turn into a smaller sidepath before transforming without any warning. The other middle-schooler just waited with her curiousity growing; neither of the two Akemis had been secretive so far, so what could this mean?

 _Maybe I finally get to see the barrier Yuri told me about? And maybe the other Witches, too..._

This idea made Madoka become excited; she had been looking forward to this ever since she learned about the fantastical homes Witches created. Homura raised one hand and had... something that resembled a large flower appear in mid-air, close to the wall. It was lined with colourful ribbons that formed a shape similar to a door and in its center were three symbols forming one; a peace of candy in the lower right, a teacup in the lower left and one more flower above them.

"This is where our Witches live. I brought you because we need to discuss something important."

The Magical Girl calmly walked into the image, with Madoka quickly following after her. It felt as if she walked through a wall of water, but just for a little moment.

Once she reached the other side, the pinkette, paused for a moment to stare at the landscape in front of her; it smelled of tea and sweets under this dim light. Five other people were looking her way from the large table in this room's center, three of them so far unknown to the pinkette; one was a little girl with pretty white hair who stopped nibbling on a piece of cheese when they entered, the other two were dolls... and only one of them actually had eyes. Still, it was obvious that everyone was looking at her, so Madoka quickly bowed before walking closer. "Pardon the intrusion."

Those were obviously the other Witches and this was their home; it would be rude to just run inside.

"Come on in and sit with us", Yuri noted from the table's head; she was the only one who had to turn around on her chair to look at her.

"Of course."

She quickly moved to comply, secretly relieved to finally know the truth about those twins; it had really just been a coincidence she never saw them both at the same time.

Aside from that, the last person already present was Tomoe Mami, who was sitting next to the white-haired girl and appeared to have been reading some kind of textbook... maybe she was helping the younger one with her homework. Madoka quickly sat down opposite to the blonde while Homura took the seat next to her sister; the dolls just kept sitting on the table, eyeing her with obvious interest.

"This is your first time meeting our group as a whole, I guess", Yuri noted after a moment. The human-shaped Witch rested her arms on the table and seemed to be at ease. "You already know Homura and Mami, of course. Our currently last Magical Girl is Momoe Nagisa."

The white-haired girl waved and smiled cheerfully. "I'm Nagisa, nice to meet you."

Following her, the dolls waved as well before Yuri could even introduce them. "I'm Char." "And I'm Candel."

Everyone appeared to get along and the place had a very relaxing atmosphere at the moment... not the creepy one she actually expected. Madoka smiled as well before bowing her head once again. "Hello there, my name is Kaname Madoka."

Once they were done with the introductions, Yuri continued; the other girl wore a serious expression she had not seen all that often, which told the pinkette that this was important. "I had Homura bring you here because it is about time; in two days, on the last day of April, the Queen of Witches will arrive in Mitakihara. I want you to form a contract with Kyubey and join us in the fight."

 **. . .**

Mami was not really happy with roping in the younger girl like that, but this was probably their only choice. Not to mention that she would have tried something similar, had it not been for Yuri and Homura.

Granted, there was a plan in place to prevent a tragedy, but they could not know whether it would work until they passed the point of no return. Kaname was obviously surprised by the sudden change in direction as well.

"Huh? But... that's so sudden..."

"I mentioned that it was fine if you waited until the proper time. You're aware of everything there is to both Magical Girls and Witches, too."

The blonde continued to browse through her textbook, mostly to prevent anyone from talking to her at the moment; she would not know any answers. This time, it was entirely up to the Akemis.

"Yes, but... you said that Magical Girls turn into Witches... I... I'm not sure..." "It's fine."

"Huh?"

From the corner of her eye, Mami saw the human-shaped Witch smile. "I thought about this for a long time; you would rather just become a Magical Girl and have no real wish to ask Kyubey for, right?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good; you see, I have a good wish for you to make. If you ask Kyubey for a Soul Gem that can't be corrupted, it should be impossible for a Witch to be born from you no matter what."

Mami was still wondering if this could actually work; on the one hand, such an easy way out had probably been thought of before and the blonde mentioned that already. However, Yuri's response was just as valid: there was no individual candidate as powerful as Kaname Madoka. Even if others thought about this solution, it might have been a failure due to insufficient potential; in this case, there was nothing the gentle pinkette could not do.

"All of us discussed this for a while", Homura mentioned while taking a sip from the cup Candel just placed in front of her, "and found no real problem with it. If being a Magical Girl is, in itself, enough for you, you should follow Lilly's advice."

"O-Okay... um... why do you call her Lilly, Homura-chan?"

"Because her full name is Homulilly. She only introduces herself as Yuri to humans because it sounds more like a human name."

Kaname made an understanding noise before sipping from her own tea and Mami did likewise; it was probably a good thing that the younger girl took all of this so well. Yuri's work apparently paid off.

"Question!"

 **. . .**

"Yes, Nagisa?", the oldest of the Witches turned back to her; the grade-schooler had been busy doing some homework before everyone arrived. She felt a bit bad lying to her mother like she did, but it could not be helped. Mami helped her study -she really did, although it was just what they said when they went to train-, so now Nagisa could stay away from home without anyone worrying. Still, this situation had been a bit weird for her.

"Why do you want Kaname-san to contract in here? The weather is nice outside, so why can't we do it at a pretty place?"

Just like in the shows she watched; there had to be a nice place for a girl to become a Magical Girl. Nagisa was even more adamant about this because she did not get one herself. However, Yuri just tilted her head slightly and smiled this small smile she had at times... only that it was usually directed at Mami or Char or Candel or... anyone but her.

"Madoka has so much potential that all of us can physically feel it, Nagisa; the moment she contracts, we will probably get to see a large pillar of light reaching into the sky. Unfortunately, large pillars of light that reach into the sky are quite easily noticed even by humans, you know? Do you want people to find out about us because we went somewhere fancy and produced a large pillar of light?"

Nagisa understood it halfway through already, the rest was just Yuri being mean. The grade-schooler pouted and looked away. "I got it already, stop treating me like a child."

The Witch chuckled for a moment and patted her head. "You should be happy that you can still be a child and stay one a bit longer."

Of course it was fun, but adults never took her seriously; that was just as mean as those bullies at school... sadly though, Yuri told her that Char was not allowed to eat them.

"Would... would it really be that noticeable, Yuri-chan? I mean, you told me I have a lot of potential, but still..."

Madoka was really confused, but that was okay for the younger girl. Not everyone could always know everything like Yuri or Homura did. Besides, the pink-haired girl was nice and Nagisa liked her a lot.

 **. . .**

Lilly decided to just nod and drop the topic, much to Homura's surprise... or lack thereof. Her sister probably told Madoka countless times, so this was just a repetition of something that took place in the past already.

"Anyway, I think it's time. Are you ready?"

Once Madoka nodded, albeit the pinkette was tensing up a bit, the human-shaped Witch got up and blinked away. She returned less than a minute later from the entrance, this time with a familiar feline walking by her side. Kyubey eyed the people gathered for a moment before leaping onto the table; from there however, it kept sitting for a moment. _'I am quite glad we could work out a solution that satisfies everyone. Good afternoon.'_

Homura did not respond to the greeting and neither did Mami; however, Nagisa waved with a big smile and Madoka nervously bowed her head. "Ah, hello. So... you are Kyubey?"

 _'Why, yes. I am really happy to meet you, Kaname Madoka. I take it Akemi Yuri explained the situation to you properly?'_

"Um... yes."

While saying that, Madoka turned her eyes to them for help; Lilly just nodded encouragingly and Mami added a smile to that. Nagisa just looked on curiously. Homura on her part took another sip from her tea and put down the cup before standing; she was well aware that Charlotte and Candeloro had been reinforcing the barrier for the past two weeks, ever since the oldest of the three Witches came up with her plan. If Madoka contracted in here, the initial discharge of her potential would probably destroy the area right around the center in such a small place. "We will take some distance."

"Huh? Why is that, Homura-chan?"

 _'I think that would be a good idea'_ , Kyubey contributed in response before looking back at Madoka. _'Seeing that this barrier is considerably smaller than those of regular Witches, you contracting might lead to a discharge of energy all around you. It could just fan out and become harmless in a larger place, but might be dangerous in here.'_

"Don't worry about the table, Madoka. We can just make a new one... but you should take your textbooks with you."

Lilly noted the last part with a glance at both Momoe Nagisa as well as Mami, who had their notes still lying in front of them. The Magical Girls quickly stuffed them into their bags and got up as well, each of them taking her respective Witch along. Madoka watched them take up some distance, assuming a position close to one of the walls. Homura gave her friend a small nod, who started to shake off her nervousness and turned back to Kyubey.

 _'Now that everyone is prepared, Madoka... tell me, what wish will make your Soul Gem shine?'_

The pinkette cast one last glance over to where they stood, then took a deep breath and repeated exactly what Lilly told her before: "I wish for... for an incorruptible Soul Gem."

Kyubey blinked. Once, twice... this was the first time Homura saw the Incubator honestly surprised, at least she figured that this was what its reaction meant. It tilted its head ever so slightly and stared up at Madoka; meanwhile, nothing else happened. _'That wish is odd, a paradox even. Are you sure you want that, Madoka?'_

The girl nodded once and Kyubey bowed its head. _'I see.'_

A moment later, the air around the two of them became thicker, heavier. Madoka started to shine in pink light and all the Witches ducked out of reflex; Lilly grabbed and held on to her Magical Girl's hand hardly, hiding partly behind her. In front of them, the bright shine expanded outwards until an area twice the usually observed size was engulfed in it; it became so thick that whatever was inside could no longer be seen and the barrier started to shake. The heaviness was starting to push air out of Homura's lungs, pressing her backwards by centimeters at the time. It never felt like this before, the sensation of raw power swirling right in front of her... looking to the side, the time-traveler found both of her fellow Magical Girls looking in awe while their Witches were desperately clinging to them.

The barrier shook harder for a moment and almost sent her stumbling, but then everything calmed down; the air quickly returned to a normal state and the light died down as well. Once they could see again, they found most of the wooden table vaporised; the same went for the ground and ceiling, both were now swirls of colours and forms changing like caleidoscopes.

Madoka stood amidst the destruction, looking around with both surprise and shock; she was clad in her pink garb and held this familiar, wooden bow in one hand. The sight made something deep within Homura hurt; she always fought to prevent this... and now it was partly because of her that her friend had become a Magical Girl. She was alive and well, everything worked out.

Now the only question was whether the wish did what they wanted it to do.

 _'Interesting. It seems that her enormous potential allowed the wish to be fulfilled after all; your plan was successful, Homulilly."_

Kyubey, instead of being somewhere around Madoka, sat right next to the Akemis and looked up at them. Lilly still held onto Homura's hand, but let go a moment after the Incubator ended; the pinkette had started wandering over to them in the meantime.

 _'I have to compliment you on your abilities; it happens rather rarely that an Incubator is outwitted by a human... no, you're not human after all. Maybe I should have taken into account that you're a Witch more than I actually did.'_

It swished its tail back and forth while taking a look around; Lilly used the moment to respond: "It's the small errors that make the greatest mistakes, I already learned that lesson. Will her Soul Gem really not get tainted?"

 _'I think so. However, please keep in mind that even Madoka's potential can't prevent side-effects.'_

The human-shaped Witch smiled knowingly and nodded. "Of course I will."

"Wait a moment", a slightly confused Mami chimed in. The blonde appeared to be surprised by something. "You... you are not upset at all, Kyubey? I mean... um..."

It had no emotion, so why should it be upset? Apparently, the other Magical Girl still thought of this the wrong way. Homura kept quiet about it though, seeing that the Incubator already went to explain: _'My race does not possess emotions, Mami. As a matter of fact, me being annoyed or upset is impossible for as long as I am mentally healthy. Reviewing Homulilly's words reveals that she has not lied in any instance, but instead used the same technique of careful wording I rely on myself. To resent her for doing so would be both hypocritical and illogical. Besides, she did not in any way inconvenience us; contracting Kaname Madoka and making her become a Witch would have been merely a shortcut to fulfilling Earth's quota at the cost of the world itself. We will reach it eventually either way. In short, I have neither the capability nor a reason to be upset'_

Yes, that about fit her own thoughts. Asides from the Akemis that already thought as much, Momoe Nagisa and Charlotte appeared confused over the lengthy explanation while Mami and Madoka were dumbfounded.

"What's left for us to do", Lilly decided to break the silence after a few moments, "is to find out whether Madoka's immunity to taint works properly and if it has any side effects. We can go over to her training once Walpurgis is done for, there won't be any need to rush things now."

The others nodded in agreement while the pinkette quickly detransformed and looked down at her perfectly clear Soul Gem. Once again, something stung deep within Homura.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When Madoka was woken up by her alarm the next day, she still had trouble grasping what had happened. However, the pink gem on her nightstand was proof of it being real; she was a Magical Girl now.

The pinkette smiled while sitting up, stretching her arms as she did so. Yuri visited her for weeks and told her stories about girls that took up their weapons to fight the regular Witches. It had been wonderful to listen and get her questions answered. The raven-haired girl even started hovering around the room for a while when asked to demonstrate her magic; there had been no doubt that she was the real deal, either.

And now she was one of them, a Magical Girl that would protect the people of Mitakihara; it felt like a dream come true. Despite the danger Yuri warned her about, Madoka was excited to see how her life would continue from now; there were also Homura and Mami and Momoe and the other Witches, a big and diverse group of friends she would be working with. The pinkette could hardly wait for it.

However, a strange feeling washed over her all of a sudden; it was the same Madoka felt just the day before, right after contracting. It felt just like a Witch...

Then the pinkette heard a knock on her window and sighed in relief. Of course Yuri would check on her; the other girl went through a lot of trouble to keep her safe, apparently. It was a really nice thing to do.

After they were done exchanging greetings, the human-shaped Witch jumped into Madoka's room and looked around. "I'm not planning to stay long, just wanted to take a quick look at your Soul Gem."

The girl had been a bit alienated by her open and... honestly somewhat rude behaviour, but quickly learned that Yuri simply did not care about conventions. She dropped the honorific about a week after they met for the first time and continued to do as she pleased. Seeing that she was not exactly human and said so, Madoka had long since decided that it was fine. All the other Magical Girls seemed to receive the same treatment, after all.

"Sure, go ahead."

She pointed towards the clear, pink crystal and watched curiously as Yuri took it up. The feeling she got increased in strength upon the touch, revealing the actual power hidden within this slender frame.

"Mhm... it doesn't look tainted. Did you notice anything weird during the night? Strange dreams, suddenly waking up or something like that?"

The pinkette shook her head over this question; she slept through and said so.

"Okay... I still think that something has to happen with the taint, but let's wait for some kind of effect during the day."

Yuri did not look up at all while measuring the Soul Gem, a picture that somehow managed to impress Madoka; her eldritch friend really cared about this kind of thing and tried her best to work properly. She made an understanding noise while the Witch put down the gem.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

For some reason, nothing noticeable happened to the Soul Gem. Lilly was a bit confused, but decided not to investigate too deeply.

The only thing they noticed after a while of testing in the afternoon was that very small portions of taint were emanated from the crystal; they quickly dispersed in the air and were probably far too small to do anything of note. As a matter of fact, Mortal World's Witch managed to absorb one such portion and found that it was basically nothing. The amount of energy it could hold was so small she failed to even feel an increase in her reserves.

These were most likely the tiny fractions of energy needed for the soul to control the body properly; now she only needed to find out what happened with a large boost of taint, like when a powerful magical attack was used. Maybe that would even allow her to get another meal.

The humans had already noticed the approaching storm that was Walpurgis, bringing to bear what little means they had to fight the disaster. They were already preparing to hole up in the large shelter they always sought out; this time however, the storm would not reach them. They were ready to take on the Queen of Witches.

 **. . .**

 **. . . . .**

 **. . .**

"Where have you been, Junko?"

The lilac-haired woman shrugged slightly before taking a seat next to her husband; the little boy playing by their feet did not pay attention to them. "Just checking something, don't worry about it."

Tomohisa probably knew this to be a lie in an instant; he was observant enough to tell, but thankfully nice enough not to ask.

Junko just allowed Madoka to go out into the storm despite the danger, which she could still not really understand; her daughter had looked so determined back there, insisting that there was something she had to do. So she let her.

 **. . .**

The town was quiet and dark; black clouds already covered most of the sky. She was currently alone, walking with a slight breeze ruffling her pink hair.

Then, all of a sudden, the girl could feel a presence beside herself; a raven-haired peer was walking there now. "So you got her to let you go. Nervous?"

Madoka nodded reluctantly, but did not slow down; she knew her destination, the place where all of them would meet up to begin the assault on Walpurgis. "Yes, a lot... how can you stay so calm, Yuri-chan?"

Her companion shrugged in response, purple eyes cast onto the sky.

Their steps were the only sound echoing through the empty streets while they slowly made their way towards the observation deck; when they reached it, they found all the other Magical Girls and Witches already waiting. Homura exchanged a nod with Yuri, Mami smiled friendly and Nagisa waved. The sight made Madoka smile herself and some of the nervousness fell off of her. She was not alone in this.

However, she also saw the clouds contort and form around a yet unseen silhouette in the distance, somewhere over the center of town.

"It will begin any minute now", Homura noted with a glance in the same direction. Charlotte and Candeloro quickly moved aside while the two veteran Magical Girls raised their Soul Gems; her and Nagisa took a moment longer to react to the unspoken command.

Pink, purple, yellow and white light shone for a moment, blending into each other.

"We won't take any risks with this; Madoka will initiate with her most powerful attack and we mop up what's left."

This was Yuri again, although her words prompted a few nods from the others; Madoka herself was not as easily convinced of this idea, but she trusted their opinion. Besides, even she was curious what she was capable of at this point.

Then, all of a sudden, the clouds streamed away and a parade of strangely-coloured animals started to march below them at the same time; a colossal being materialised in the sky, the navyblue dress easily visible even down to where they stood.

The aura that hit them made the Witches and Nagisa squirm in discomfort; Madoka could understand it, this was so much stronger than anything she felt from their friends so far. It was enormous and terrifying. Still, everyone believed in her; she must not let them down.

 **. . .**

Lilly could feel her fellow Witches' fear; neither of them saw this before and no other would ever see it again. This was the end of the line, all their attempts and plans coming to a close; if this worked out, all of it would be over. They would have won.

When Madoka drew her bow and pulled back the string, another wave of power washed over all of them; feeling so much compressed might right next to herself made Mortal World's Witch shiver, to the point where she had to take a step aside. A large tongue of pink energy was cast behind the Magical Girl, originating from the top of her bow.

And yet, something still felt wrong.

Everyone was watching now, probably none of them feeling just like Lilly did; unfortunately, even she only realised what her instincts meant when it was already too late. Before she could even open her mouth, Madoka let loose and the arrow shot off. It connected with a large, pink structure of lines and circles in the sky, which started to glow a bit brighter.

 _Oh no..._

 **. . .**

When they were done setting up, Junko decided to just watch the sky from inside for a while; her husband and son soon joined her to see, but there was little change so far. Some clouds moved, a few stronger gusts of wind hit the windows... still, her little girl was out there.

"Mama, Papa, look!"

Snapping out of her thoughts, the woman turned her eyes to where Tatsuya was pointing; a giant esoteric circle was hovering right below the clouds, shining in pink light.

"What in the world... Junko, you can see that too, right?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes not straying from the sight; this was nothing natural, definitely... but before she could even start thinking about what it was, a rain of pink bolts started to shoot downwards from the gargantuan structure. Most of it was stopped by something unseen in the sky, but some went down onto the city.

As the earth started to shake, Junko became scared. Her daughter was out there, just what was going on? Screams from the other people started up far behind them while the Kanames stared at falling skyscrapers basked in pink light. And then Junko noticed several of the bolts coming their way while others were wrecking the buildings between them and the disaster.

"Run! We have to..."

 **. . .**

"Turn it off, Madoka! Now!"

The pinkette almost jumped over Lilly's harsh words and even Homura was a bit surprised. Walpurgis was quickly reduced to the gear itself, which also began to show holes where the arrows hit. The incredibly potent magic was all around them... but why was Lilly so upset?

"Hu? Um... Okaugh"

Before Madoka could even finish her response she collapsed onto her knees with a hand over her Soul Gem; black fog oozed out from between her fingers, dispersing in the air.

"Kaname-san?" "Madoka-san?!"

Walpurgis added her own scream, mixed into insane laughter, to the remaining Magical Girls. The Queen of Witches died while the hail of arrows subsided, albeit a few seconds late. Momoe Nagisa and Mami were already with Madoka, although they both tried their best to stay out of the fog. The ground shook while all eyes were on the pinkette... and Homura turned around to see what this was about. The time-traveler started to understand once she saw.

Mitakihara was in ruins. With no idea how to rein in her power, Madoka blasted away with everything she had; not all of her projectiles hit the target and those that missed wreaked havoc on the city instead. Skyscrapers had collapsed all around them, felled not by the might of Walpurgis but by the unguided assault of the strongest Magical Girl to ever exist.

Now she felt sick, if just for the fact that Madoka would be devastated. After a moment of indulging the feeling however, Homura clamped down on and extinguished it. She needed to be calm for whatever came next. At first, the Magical Girl took a look at her sister, who crouched and hid her head behind her arms; Lilly was wimpering in fear, even though Candel and Char were busy tending to her, just like their counterparts tended to Madoka.

The black fog had stopped coming by now, leaving behind a perfectly clear Soul Gem; thus Homura knew that their plan had truly worked, Madoka would live properly no matter what.

However, looking out onto what the pinkette just did to Mitakihara made her wonder whether she could fall into despair after all... and also what a continued flow of grief would mean. To make matters worse, she spotted Kyubey nearby; the Incubator was watching them from the railing they stood in front of, albeit a few dozen meters to the side.

"I guess... I forgot a little detail."

The recuperating Magical Girl perked up over hearing Mortal World's Witch speak, as did the more experienced ones; Homura turned her head to meet her sister's gaze, but Lilly was looking onto the remains of Mitakihara. "I should have been more precise about how much power you were supposed to use... you wrecked the city as well as Walpurgis would have."

"Huh... huh?"  
The time-traveler already prepared to do something in case her friend would collapse from the realisation, but Lilly already continued before the pinkette could do more than acknowledge the fact and start being horrified: "I'm not saying it was your fault, Madoka. However... maybe we should start over once more. A chance to save everything with as little destruction as possible... how does that sound to you?"

Now her Witch turned to exchange a glance with Homura, who understood in an instant; it was an unexpected complication, but they had the means to undo it in their hands. Mami and Momoe Nagisa understood this just as well, going by their expressions.

"Huh... is... is that really possible? Can you do that, Yuri-chan?"

Tears started to run down the gentle girl's cheeks while she turned around to look at what she did herself. It was probably hard on her right now.

"Of course I can", Lilly replied without a shadow of doubt.

 **. . .**

Everything began to make sense now. The profound knowledge Homulilly possessed of future events around Mitakihara, Mami's sudden aversion against the Incubator and the appearance of two irregular Magical Girls. Time magic.

Kyubey finally managed to rule out all the remaining possibilities based on what it just overheard. Now that Kaname Madoka made it impossible for herself to become a Witch and this objective was no longer the most pressing matter at hand, the Incubator went back to work as usual.

Granted, its superiors would most likely demand an extended explanation about the circumstances leading to this outcome, but most of that was already prepared. Right now, there were a few potential contractees among the survivors from Mitakihara to be spoken to. Most of those were already marked for future reassessment anyway, but one Shizuki Hitomi received a spike in potential just a little while ago.

Further investigation by a separate body revealed that the girl's mother was buried under the collapsing shelter; the same went for Miki Sayaka, Kaname Madoka's other friend. There was also no sign of the new Magical Girl's family among the survivors.

For a moment, Kyubey pondered bringing this up towards the pinkette; she was still around, although Homulilly proceeded with all due haste to leave. It made sense, considering that an emotional shock like this one might still upset Madoka.

It let them go uncontested; there was nothing lost at this point.

 _'Good afternoon, Shizuki Hitomi.'_

Things would just go on as usual.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

The last few days had been filled with news; even Kyoko noticed and took a look into the matter. At first it made her stomach churn too much to read anything about Mitakihara, but she got over it when the people just did not stop talking about it.

Then she found out just why everyone was so confused and it did not make her feel better.

If eyewitnesses were to be trusted, the shelter everyone was in had not collapsed from the storm... but from a heavy impact. Many claimed to have seen pink projectiles fly through the sky... and much to everyone's surprise, the whole city was riddled with large holes similar to those found in the shelter's walls.

Of course, Kyoko could easily see the work of a Magical Girl there; she did not even need to ask Kyubey to know that.

However, what made this weird weight return to her stomach was the last part of the article; it was little more than a footnote... stating that four bodies had been found amidst the thrashed city. Three teenagers and one younger girl; all of them apparently died from heart attacks and were completely unharmed. All of them could easily be identified and... Kyoko threw the magazine away before she got to see the names; she did not want to see it.

 _So... I guess that was Judgement Day..._

 **. . . . .**

 **. . .**

[Forgotten Premises]

Fourth Act: End

 **.**


	72. Journey's End I

It was a weird sensation by now.

Homura had long since grown accustomed to the strange white that was all around whenever she leaped back; now however... She had been alone on her journey for so long... and now she felt the presence of others, of her own sister and a whole group of companions following her. Lilly held onto her and they all held onto Lilly, waiting for the transition to end.

Keeping track of the time was mostly impossible in here with the eerie silence and their always changing surroundings, but she managed to at least have a rough impression due to counting in her mind.

In this very moment, Homura felt it; the sharp pain she also felt on the past leaps, originating from her connection to her Witch. This time however, it was far, far stronger than before; what was more, a strangled gasp from Madoka already told her who was hit this time... and then they slowed down while their surroundings turned pink. The pull back became stronger and she could barely keep going, though the other Magical Girls and Witches started to realise and call out to them; their words were inaudible over the sudden background noise.

Homura did what was probably turning around in this realm, only to find the purple light behind her desperately pulling on the pink light; this was far too much for Lilly to take with them. In this very moment, her sister's words returned to the Magical Girl; she recalled how the Witch almost burned out on the previous leap and had to leave Kyoko behind...

No, this would not happen. This would not stand.

The time-traveler quickly dashed back to help.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

On this very morning, everything in Mitakihara was to change; Kyubey was the first to notice.

The Incubator was currently not working towards contracting more Magical Girls anywhere around the city; there were a few girls with sufficient potential, but it was still very little. Therefore, only a handful of bodies were present at the moment, one of them curled up by Tomoe Mami's feet; it was this one that took note of the bright light suddenly emanating from her Soul Gem. This was something that never happened before and Kyubey quickly investigated, but could not find out much.

When the light had subsided, it noted the formation of a Witch without the girl herself dying.

Before the Incubator could make any further investigations however, all of its bodies sensed another aura; it paused in surprise, taking in the new sensation that washed over all of Mitakihara. Kyubey also noted that Mami bolted upright with a gasp and her Witch clung to her almost as quickly as she rose from her pillow.

 _How weird._

There was no Magical Girl in the city that could produce a Witch of this magnitude; all the currently present Familiars belonged to comparably weak specimen and Walpurgis was not scheduled for another six weeks. This Witch belonged to no less than a saviour of countries, yet there was no reason for it to be here.

However, the aura was there and Kyubey had to evaluate possible reasons for its owner's arrival.

 **. . .**

In another part of the city, a younger girl was also roused from pleasant dreams by the awful feeling that took over the whole city. Nagisa took quick breaths and looked around with wide eyes; she could feel the Witch and it scared her. It was so powerful, so dark... even Char was shaking and hid her face at the grade-schooler's chest.

The Magical Girl quickly shook off her fear and went to comfort the Witch; she was the big sister, so she had to be strong for her little sister.

"There there, Char. Everything is fine."

It did not really help in calming the Witch of Sweets. And neither did it help to calm her.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

When Madoka woke up, she lazily blinked at the far wall; what a weird dream she had, of magic and miracles...

The pinkette's alarm told her that it was a little after nine on a Saturday, although she could swear it was supposed to be Wednesday. How nice, she had a whole weekend instead; just why were the memories of this dream so clear?

Then she came to realise that there was something shiny on the floor; a pink gem formed like an egg with golden tip and foot.

 _Huh? It... it was not a dream?_

The middle-schooler shifted slightly to grasp for the gem, her mind slowly warming up properly. She recalled all those things she was told about Magical Girls and Witches, how these gems were their souls after a contract with Kyubey, who took them out of their bodies. How they would eventually darken and grow into Witches themselves... except that her own wish had made this impossible for her. That was a good thing.

"My, good morning."

And there was someone shifting around right behind... wait.

Madoka quickly flopped around to see who was lying in bed with her, but the surprised squeek was caught in her throat before it really started. A girl who could have been her sat there, pink eyes full of warmth and friendliness. "I was awake for a while, but you looked too content in your sleep; I just could not bring myself to wake you up."

"Huh?... uh... um..."

This stutter was... basically the only thing she was capable of right now. Why was there a girl looking exactly like her? Who was she and why were they in the same bed and... now that Madoka's eyes started to wander to make sure they looked similar... why was she naked?!

However, the other pinkette just continued to smile and patiently waited until she snapped out of her stupor; Madoka shook her head violently, but the image in front of her did not change at all. "Um... who are you?"

Now that her brain started to actually work properly, she got an idea what this could mean. It was all but confirmed when the naked girl replied: "I am Kriemhild Gretchen, the Witch of Salvation. The cycle that began with my dear Homulilly is now complete, the wish has returned to where it began; I was born without your demise, my dear sister."

She smiled again while Madoka parsed the statement; half of it made no sense at all, but what she understood was clear as day. She got a Witch-sister just like Homura, Mami and Nagisa did!

The other girl -Kriemhild, apparently- crawled over her legs and out of bed, gently standing up once she was able to and taking Madoka's Soul Gem. "You kept shifting in your sleep and dropped that. Here you go."

"Thank you... um..."

The Witch continued to smile and sat down at her bedside while the Magical Girl turned around to sit properly as well. "Do not mention it. I can understand if this is sudden for you, but I am incredibly happy nonetheless; it is wonderful that we were able to meet each other properly."

Her voice was gentle and warm as well... it was probably the same tone Madoka had herself, but still somewhat different; she spoke a bit slower and more properly. Her words had the pinkette smile, though. "Yes, I'm really happy about that, too."

Kriemhild closed her eyes for a moment before looking down at herself. "I have to admit that I would have preferred my own body over yours, but this is fine... though... I think I should dress myself properly."

The human-shaped Witch got up and took a few steps towards the middle of the room... and Madoka could feel the power surging through her; the somewhat pale skin suddenly became pitch-black, as if it was coated in ink. It started to flow over the smiling figure while the Magical Girl gasped over the unexpected sight, forming into a long, black dress. It was sleeveless, but covered everything else almost completely except for the face, neck and throat. There was no fine work anywhere, just smooth cloth flowing around the Witch.

Kriemhild turned around herself and curtsied with a giggle. "How do I look?"

Two sets of pink eyes met and Madoka could not help but be amazed... and a tiny little bit envious; this... this was her Witch. She was _her_ and yet she pulled off being elegant so easily...

"Mhm? Is something the matter, Madoka? Did I do something wrong?"

The other pinkette returned to the bed and sat down next to her; the words were enough to snap Madoka herself out of it, though. She quickly shook her head and laughed sheepishly. "Ehehe, it's nothing, really. I just thought... um, well... you're way more elegant than me despite us being the same person... I mean, that's how it is, right?"

Yuri did explain how her group of Witches stood to their respective Magical Girls, although she never mentioned where they came from.

Kriemhild nodded and her smile returned a moment later. "Yes, we are the same yet different, my dear sister. You are a beacon of purity even in the darkest of nights, whereas I am the center of corruption and dread forevermore."

That... did not sound very nice; the thought must have shown on her face alongside Madoka's surprise, seeing that her Witch elaborated as if she never intended to stop there: "Your soul remains untouched by grief and despair, so I was born to act as a counterforce; I can feel two more Magical Girls in this city, they are both in range of my aura and therefore leave all the taint to me. Their Soul Gems shall remain pure for as long as they are close enough to me and I will gladly take the darkness from them as nourishment."

"So... um... you mean that you absorb all the taint from them no matter where they are?"

"For as long as they are not too far away, yes."

It was still weird to talk to her own face like that; was this how Homura felt in the beginning as well?

"That aside, I believe we should think about what to do with our... your parents; they will probably not take it well to find they suddenly have another daughter."

"Uh... oh... Ohh... oh no!"

She never even thought about that before. How should they tell her parents?

Before the pinkette could start panicking however, her... her 'sister' gently put a hand on her head. "Now now, there is no need for panic. I would rather not lie to them and I believe that you think similar... but my memories are incomplete, so I will leave the decision to you."

Kriemhild spoke as gentle as before and her words actually made Madoka calm down a bit. The Magical Girl took a deep breath and started to think.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

The morning was rather weird for Kaname Tomohisa. He already took care of the garden by now, but breakfast would have to wait a little longer; his son was terrified of something for a while now and kept hugging his leg tightly whenever he wanted to leave.

The man was not unused to Tatsuya doing that kind of thing after having a bad dream or when something scary happened on TV, but the little boy usually stopped after a few minutes; this was going on for more than a full hour by now. What was more, there was no loud wailing as usual, just a quiet whimper that made him worry even more.

"There there, Tatsuya. There is nothing bad around. It was all just a dream..."

He had been saying that over and over, but it did not seem to calm the little one down at all.

"Papa?"

That was Madoka calling out for him, although she sounded somewhat worried; Tomohisa really hoped that she was not in a similar state as his son for some reason. "Over here!"

It was quiet for a moment, then the sound of steps closed in on Tatsuya's room; when the older child peaked inside, she paused for a moment over the sight of her father sitting on the small bed with her little brother on his lap. When she saw the boy's condition however, Madoka all but jumped into the room. "Goodness, Tatsuya! What happened?"

She was next to them in an instant and took a closer look before hugging her baby brother, who seemed to relax a bit more. Tomohisa could only show her a helpless expression. "I'm not sure myself, he just won't calm down at all."

His daughter never did something like that when she was two, so sitting and waiting it out were the only things he could do at the moment; Junko already went to work, so she would not be around to help for a while.

Then however, a voice spoke up from the hallway, sounding completely like his own daughter... who was sitting with them. "I am afraid that is my fault; children are more susceptible to the supernatural, so my presence should be what upsets Tatsuya."

 _Um... why is there someone there... and why does that person sound like Madoka?_

Seeing that his daughter raised her head to look at the door just like Tomohisa did, she must have heard it as well. "Madoka? What is going on? You didn't have any visitors, right?"

He asked just in case, although he knew for a fact that his daughter had no friends over; especially none that had such a good hand at imitating another person's voice... and none of his sweet girl's friends would play such a tasteless prank in a situation like this. As expected, the girl shook her head; she also looked somewhat down now. "I see..."

"It should subside once I bring some distance between us, do not worry about that."

Then another head poked into the room... with the same pink hair and _the very same face as his daughter_!

Tomohisa stopped. He just stopped.

However, Madoka started to giggle sheepishly and looked at him with concern, so the man quickly tried to get a hold of himself... but all of this just made no sense; who was that girl and what was she doing here and what was she talking about?

For a moment there, the man wondered if he lost his mind; on the other hand though, his daughter seemed to see the same thing he saw. She was completely calm and acted as if nothing was wrong...

"Um... well... Papa? I know this is a bit sudden... and weird... no, it's really weird... but... um..."

"I should have realised sooner", the other Madoka noted with a sad smile while entering the room fully. "Humans are indeed fragile, especially when confronted with the unbelievable; for your sake however, even though I do not expect this to end well... it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Kriemhild Gretchen, although referring to me as Kriem is perfectly fine with me."

The girl curtsied properly, although her expression did not change at all. Tomohisa, for his part, did not speak; just how did one react to something like that...

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

Madoka did her best to explain the situation to their... her father, although Kriem could tell he was not up for it mentally; this was just a normal man living a normal life, suddenly thrown into an intricate web of magic, wishes and miracles.

Truly, the Witch of Salvation would have much preferred to just leave this home quietly; it was not hers and would never be, she knew this now. Even though Madoka would never cease to be her dearest family, for they were bound by their very souls... humans could not grasp the truth the same way she did. Those poor beings needed to be protected and saved from misery, yet no one stood up for them ever since; Magical Girls preferred to fight each other instead of joining hands and the wicked reigned.

Most of Kriem's knowledge originated from Madoka, but some was already etched into her mind; not even her sister was able to see the suffering all around and that was alright. That was why this Witch was born, her true purpose and task to save them.

Had she been created regularly instead of from the wish another her -another Madoka- made previously, which stayed with Mortal World's Witch for all this time, not much would have been different. She still yearned to create heaven for humankind; however, it was not possible to bring forth salvation for everyone as easily. Kriem needed to concentrate on learning about herself and her abilities first.

Right now however, she decided that no, her sister's approach was not working. When her father's gaze met the Witch's pink, she seized the opportunity and grasped for his mind; it was just a small spark of magic intended not to liberate, but to take over. In an instant, Kaname Tomohisa became still and just kept staring, the scared boy still on his lap; Kriem had kept to the other side of this room for now.

"So, as I said, um... huh? Papa?"

The Magical Girl stopped talking after a few more seconds and even Tatsuya noticed that something happened; the toddler looked up at his father and started shaking him slightly.

"This does not work at all, Madoka. I put a Kiss on your father so that he forgets everything you told him so far. It is for the best like that, please believe me."

Tatsuya turned to her with a fearful expression when she spoke, so Kriem used this to send him to sleep as well. If everything worked out properly, they would just remember having fallen asleep there at some point. Madoka was visibly shocked. "B-But... but you said..."

"I am aware of what I said", the Witch replied before her sister could finish; it was rude to interrupt, but she had to make her point clear now and get away from the place. "However, I still have to learn a lot; humans do not take to such truths lightly, this much was obvious here... and I doubt that your father would have been really healthy after learning all of this."

Yes, this family was Madoka's and not hers. As sad as it was and as much as Kriem would have loved to spend time with them, she understood that much now. "I would rather not unsettle their peaceful lifes for some selfish reason."

She slowly went over to where the two were now sleeping peacefully if a bit awkwardly, kissing both man and boy goodbye. They would probably not meet again. After turning around again, Kriem found her sister still looking at the ground and without a response to what was said. The human-shaped Witch smiled warmly and motioned for the door. "Let us go and see whether the others are fine; my memories are a bit fuzzy, so please lead the way."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"It's... _she's_ coming closer, Mami. I'm scared!"

The blonde gently hugged her Witch, although she was shaking herself. This surge of raw power filled her senses to the point where even knowing it to be Kaname and her Witch did not help anymore; she was scared because this being felt so much more dangerous than even Walpurgis herself had.

 _'Is this a bad moment to interrupt, or would you appreciate the distraction?'_

Both of them turned their heads to find Kyubey sitting on the ground in front of the bed, obviously unconcerned by the powerful Witch on the way here. The feline's tail was swishing back and forth a few times before it rested on the ground. _'I take your silence as a yes to the latter, then... could you explain what happened here, Mami? I'm afraid I might have missed some of the signs for all of this happening.'_

The two of them looked at each other for several seconds before Mami forced herself as calm as she could get. They won at this point, there was nothing Kyubey could do to harm them now... and it had been fine even when it was played in the last timeline. As much as she disliked it by now... it was at least fair. But did she want to tell the Incubator what she went through? After another moment of thought, the Magical Girl conceded and got out a full sentences without a shivering-induced stutter: "In short, a lot of time travel and several powerful wishes are what happened."

He would probably be able to deduce most of the rest by itself.

 _'I see. So you aren't the Mami from this timeline; is the generation of several apparently reasonable Witches tied into those wishes you mentioned as well?_

The blonde nodded slightly while the ribbons around her tightened a little bit.

Then the doorbell was rung and made her flinch. Mami turned her head and quickly went to look through the spyhole; once she saw who was outside, the Magical Girl did not even bother hiding Candel somewhere. She just opened and let Momoe in, who was shaking miserably and hugged her waist. "Mami-san!"

The powerful aura had even made noticing the other Witch right in front of the door impossible; Charlotte seemed to be in the bag slung around Momoe's shoulder. Mami just petted the poor child's head and carefully closed the door with one of her ribbons. "There there, it is fine, Momoe-chan."

She could understand that the girl was scared; the aura became more unsettling with every passing second. After taking the younger one's hand, she gently brought Momoe into the living room... only to find a group of two pinkettes entering over the balcony.

The Magical Girl froze over the sight, immediately understanding what this meant; both girls looked exactly the same, the only differences between them being their clothes and that one of them had her hair open. "K-Kaname-san..."

 **. . .**

The ceiling was white, just as always.

Slowly, purple eyes blinked and tried to focus, but could not manage to; their owner reluctantly sat up to look at her surroundings, but it was all a blur. She saw that, as she could also feel, her purple pyjamas were drenched in sweat. Lithe, pale hands opened and closed while the girl looked sideways. Tears already trickled down her cheeks, though. She already knew.

The place next to her was empty.


	73. Journey's End II

It was an awkward atmosphere at the table even after Kaname finished her explanation. Mami could not stop herself from shivering whenever _her_ gaze wandered over her. Candel at least stopped shaking and Charlotte seemed somewhat fine, although she was currently wrapped tightly in ribbons.

Kriemhild Gretchen, that was how the new Witch introduced herself for the Magical Girls. She smiled and continuously had a warm tone to her, but would not stop emanating so much raw malice that Mami had trouble treating her properly. The blonde knew very well how rude it was, but this was just too much. It had already been bad when she felt this enormous aura on previous encounters... but this was even worse, probably because the one responsible sat no two meters away from her.

"Um... is something wrong, Mami-san?"

It was, but she could hardly say that when Kaname actually came here looking for help with this situation. "Not at all, Kaname-san."

The younger girl had far more trouble explaining away her Witch than any of the other girls... simply because Candel and Charlotte were dolls while Homura had no one to explain herself to. Mami pressed down on the feeling of dread before continuing; this matter deserved her full attention. "The only solution I could think of right now would be to have Kriemhild-san stay with the other Witches, though. Maybe Yuri-san or Homura-san would know something else if you do not like this."

The human-shaped Witch carefully lifted her cup and took a small sip while mulling that over. Then her eyes snapped sideways for a moment and she continued to smile. "I am not particularly disinclined to this... though I would like to raise concerns about my fellow Witches. Both Candeloro and Charlotte do not look particularly well in my presence."

"That's because you feel so... so big!", the Dress-Up Witch exclaimed in response; she raised her arms over her head for emphasis, sending the Witch of Sweets hovering overhead for a few seconds. Charlotte only nodded in agreement and did not seem to care for the sudden shift in perspective, though. Kriemhild lowered her head in thought for a moment over this. "I already suspected a reason such as this; unfortunately, I have no knowledge of how to suppress my aura like I faintly remember Homulilly doing. Perhaps I could ask her to teach me once she arrives... well, she will arrive here in due time, correct?"

Her choice of words was decidedly off, but every Witch had her quirks. Mami decided to ignore that for now and instead answered the question she was asked with a nod. "I believe so; it is a bit weird for those two to run late, though."

She was not even done saying it when someone rung the doorbell. Kriemhild's smile became more amused, which further tipped off the blonde. "They are standing outside, are they not?"

"Why, yes. You probably did not feel her arrival due to my aura."

Kaname still appeared bewildered by the fact she gained a sister out of nowhere and remained quiet up until this point. Now however, the pinkette quickly got to her feet. "I go and get them."

Mami let her, even thought it was probably her duty to let in guests; the poor girl became a Magical Girl no three days ago and was probably still confused.

"On another note, I do believe that you being uncomfortable is also because of something a bit more intimate. I am afraid there is very little I can do about it, though."

The Magical Girl returned her attention to Kriemhild, who was looking quite sheepish all of a sudden... which made her even more like the girl she originated from. The Witch continued after Mami motioned for her to do so: "You might want to check your Soul Gems and find them completely clean. Seeing that my dear sister became immune to the taint, I in turn am its center... which includes a stream of corruption from you to me, a constant connection between us."

True to Kriemhild's words, Mami found her Soul Gem perfectly clear and shining in a bright yellow.

Still, those words had the Magical Girl reeling; there was a Witch that could absorb corruption from a Soul Gem by just being closeby? Something like that was apparently possible after all... so... would this not mean that there was no real need to hunt Witches anymore?

Of course she would still do it, but there was no need to rush things and...

"I see you understand the implications, Mami; yes, you can return to a somewhat normal life."

Kriemhild's words were followed by the sound of footsteps in the hallway and two girls making their way into the living room. One was Kaname, the other was Homura... no, Yuri. She wore her hair open, though... and somewhat strange, red glasses. And she did not look happy at all...

The other human-shaped Witch did not pay much attention to her or Momoe for now; instead, she quickly focussed her attention on Kriemhild. The pinkette smiled warmly while studying the other girl in exchange, but neither of them spoke for a bit. Then Yuri got moving again and slumped down at the empty space next to Momoe.

Something was off here; Mami could tell and going from Kaname's concerned expression, she noticed as well. The blonde quickly put on a smile of her own and greeted the raven-haired girl: "Good afternoon, Yuri-san. Was Homura-san held up with paperwork or something of the like?"

Cold purple moved to meet her gaze, the Witch's expression incredibly similar to that of her Magical Girl at this point. Then Yuri shook her head. "No. Akemi Homura is dead."

 _...huh?_

"Eh?"

"What happened?!"

Kaname had just been in the process of sitting down, but almost jumped over the table while leaning forwards in surprise. Momoe remained confused and looked around between them while Mami... Mami had trouble understanding what had been said. Homura was dead? How? And why? And when?

Yuri remained emotionless in her appearance and continued to speak with this cold tone her sister usually had: "I almost didn't manage to bring all of us back here. Homura used her own soul to make the difference and pushed me along with all of you before I could do anything. This is her body entirely, consisting of pure human flesh; my Grief Seed is still there, but it will take time to fix this weak heart and the eyes. From this day onward, I will live her life as Akemi Homura, even though I am Homulilly."

No one spoke while the Witch explained and there was a heavy silence hanging over them afterwards. Mami felt her eyes sting as the whole truth started to settle in. "So Homura-san really is..."

"This is our last chance", Yuri interrupted her; the blonde was grateful for it, though. "I can't access the same magic as her, although I can expand on it. Without Homura, we can no longer go to the past to make up for mistakes... this is where we have to prevail."

The human-shaped Witch took a deep breath and her brows furrowed for a moment, then she turned to look at Mami. "I know it will be difficult to train two girls, but we need to get Madoka into shape for the battle to come. Nagisa already finished her first month and should be good to go by herself. I will assist with training as much as I can once us Witches are set up properly."

Following that, her gaze wandered over to Kaname, who finally returned back to her seat. "This might be harsh, but please take at least an hour a day to practice your magic, especially limiting the amount you use on any one task. We can't afford destroying half of Mitakihara while fighting Walpurgis."

The girl nodded somewhat dumbfounded, her hands nervously playing with her Soul Gem. Mami slowly got a hold of herself as well; she decided to properly react to this later.

"Ahem, would I be allowed to make a suggestion?"

Kriemhild continued to smile and waited patiently until Yuri nodded before continuing: "You probably noticed that I have a little problem with my aura. Would it be possible for you to teach me how to suppress it at least partly?"

"Suppress it."

The newborn Witch blinked while Yuri just looked at her nonchalantly. "Excuse me?"

"It's as easy as that, Kriem: push your magic back into your Grief Seed as far as you can. I can't show you how it's done because I never had to learn it, I just do. Still, be warned that..."

Before she could even finish, Kriemhild fell to the side with a pained groan, carefully caught by her Magical Girl. "Kriem? What happened?"

The human-shaped Witch groaned again and rubbed her temples with a grimace. "I... uh... I suspect that you just wanted to warn me of those complications?"

Yuri nodded slightly while the remaining Magical Girls and Witches just kept watching the situation. "My Grief Seed is within the heart, so forcing my magic back there usually has my stomach revolt. If you get a headache, then yours is in your head?"

"Something along those lines, yes", the pink-haired Witch agreed while tapping her left eyelid. "It is located in my right eye."

This prompted all the Magical Girls to look closer; Mami could see Momoe and Kaname leaning in a little bit once Kriemhild raised the eyelid again... and so did she, but there was nothing to be seen. However, the pressure on her mind had become smaller... this malevolent aura the blonde could still feel was now weaker than before. Not much, but noticeably.

"I see. At least it's more difficult to locate than my own. What happens if you drop the human appearance... assuming that you can?"

Yuri continued to ask questions and Mami started to get the feeling she wanted to steer away from... the other topic. It made sense, but she was not sure what to make of that. It was probably alright to leave this be for now; besides, the matter at hand was fairly interesting. Kriemhild tilted her head slightly while her smile became a bit thinner and more... confused. "Excuse me? I believe I do not understand the question."

In return, the older Witch raised a hand before lowering it again; then she sighed heavily. "This body is too human to do it yet, but I can at least assume a small part of my own appearance if I concentrate on it. You should be able to do the same if you embrace your nature a bit further, but it might be a bit early to try. I was just asking."

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

There were a few more basic questions about her, but that was basically it... it was delighting to have such interesting conversation, Kriem found. Although Mami was quite disheartened when Lilly announced returning to her own place and putting up a barrier there. Yes, she recalled the Akemis staying at this place; it was understandable to be unhappy by seeing a friend leave like that.

However, the wave of suppressed feelings she got from her fellow Witch was also saddening; the older one would not want her to mention it at the time though, so Kriem kept quiet.

Nagisa only parted with her Witch after giving her a big hug, even though they would see each other again very soon... she was probably still afraid of the Witch of Salvation. Kriem understood that.

Now it was the two of them to enter the old building Lilly lived in, carrying the dolls in duffel bags one Witch each. Madoka stayed behind at Mami's place as well.

"My, what a nice place to live, Homura-chan."

Mortal World's Witch flinched, even though it was her who insisted on this earlier. She explained that she was going to carry on as Akemi Homura. Therefore, Lilly would become who she had always been.

No one paid attention to them on the way and no one did it now, either. They entered and released the other Witches to stand on the carpeted floor; there was little to no furnishing to be seen.

Candeloro already started to conjure up a sphere of compressed power, a proto-barrier. Kriem was a bit confused about this process, but did not let on about it; she had a good idea on how to create a barrier, but recalled Lilly lacking this kind of knowledge. So she left the dolls to it and sat with the oldest of their group at a near wall. "You look tired."

"I'm hungry... I can barely eat, but I'm hungry..."

Lilly only mumbled her response and sighed before shifting sidewards... and catching herself before her head could land on Kriem's shoulder. "Sorry."

So that was how it was. The pinkette smiled a bit brighter and gently pulled her friend down for good. "There is no need to apologise."

There was a surprised noise caught in Lilly's throat, but she let it happen and rested her head. The surge of feelings became stronger from their direct contact amplifying the effect, becoming more like an actual storm to the newborn Witch's senses. She had trouble picking out what was actually going on now.

"On top of that, your presence scared all the other Witches away... I have no idea where to get good food from."

That... was indeed a problem. This time however, Kriem could not think of a solution at once; she was out of her field of expertise and the one idea she had was... daring and would most likely not work. Although it probably would make Lilly rather happy. The younger Witch felt herself blush a bit; it was due to the older one having her eyes closed that it was not noticed.

"We're done!"

Both of them turned to look at Candeloro, who was holding up a glowing sphere. It was stable for the time being, potent with power and ready to be activated; Kriem looked back and forth between Lilly and their barrier, wondering what her friend would do now. In the beginning, Mortal World's Witch was merely staring at the sphere before turning to the Witch of Salvation. "Do you want to add anything?"

She was still trying to appear alright even when it was obvious how much her feelings were in disarray. Kriem suppressed a sigh and nodded before reaching out to the taller doll; Candeloro gently placed the sphere in her palm, but then quickly pulled back the arm to get out of reach.

It was difficult to get an idea of the current layout, but this barrier seemed rather minimalistic; no long corridors, no traps, nothing of the sort. Just a few rooms for each of them with a common room in the center.

This would not do.

Kriem closed her eyes and felt into the pulsing sphere, which started to heat up under her fingers. Her Grief Seed resonated with the beat after a few seconds, allowing her access to the barrier's interior. Just like in her mind's eye, the unborn realm began to shift and expand.

"Um... what are you doing? It's so bright!"

Candeloro was both confused and surprised... which also went for Charlotte, although the Sweets Witch did not say anything. Lilly just kept observing, but there was curiousity coming from her end.

"I believe the three of you have been thinking too small so far. It makes sense not to waste space, but we will spend lots of time within this barrier; I would like to have some more room in it."

It had already been prepared to be activated, so when all her changes were adapted and the fabric stabilised again, Kriem fed it more of her magic to make it explode outwards and warp the room around them.

 **. . .**

This was an amount of power spent Lilly could barely get together in the previous loops. Their newest addition just had it on hand without any problem... Kriemhild Gretchen was truly the most powerful of all Witches.

The raven-haired girl looked around the open field with wide eyes, taking in the beds of flowers and small ponds of molten chocolate around them. There was no grass on the naked earth, just flowers. The familiar table they had around all the time was not there, either. However, a myriad of stars shone above instead of the usual dark fog taking the light away. There was even a small moon, casting ghostly light onto the ground from where it was placed.

"It's so big...", Candel mumbled in awe while constantly turning around to take in everything at once. Char was also trying something like that, but only managed to stumble over her stubbly legs and fall to the ground. Looking further, Lilly found a small castle sitting on the only path away from this plain; it looked as if made of stone, but the edges twisted into the dark sky behind.

"Is it to your liking?"

Mortal World's Witch just nodded while her companions started cheering happily. Kriem smiled and got up to her feet, offering Lilly a hand as she did so. "Shall we go and take a look at our new home?"

She considered ignoring the hand and getting up by herself, but that would be unnecessary. Going by how the younger Witch looked at her and what kind of feelings Lilly knew she had been emitting, it was obvious that she was found out already. She sighed quietly and took the hand before being pulled to her feet with ease.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The castle was huge for just the four of them. Lilly did not really count the rooms they found when looking around the first floor, but there had to be at least a dozen; according to Kriem, the place was five stories high... this would easily allow to house all the Magical Girls as well.

When thinking about Magical Girls however, her thoughts inevitably returned to Homura; her original and sister... gone. For some reason, Lilly felt empty ever since she realised this. Something was no longer there.

She tried to open their bond, only to receive nothing in return; there were only her own raging feelings. Even the frightening aura that belonged to the Witch of Salvation did little to stop her from grieving, even her constant fear of the world was dulled for the time being.

Kriem said something to the dolls and pulled her along at some point, she could not really remember; it was bad to be so out of it, but Lilly could not bring herself to care. There was the sound of a door closing and the younger Witch met her eyes with open concern... before she was pulled into a strong hug.

 _Huh?_

Eldritch warmth was all around her, small fingers gently caressing Lilly's back and head... it felt nice, even though her instincts screamed to flee. But at the same time, Lilly felt the stinging return to her eyes, felt tears trickle and just stopped resisting what she knew was coming. Instead, she screamed at the top of her lungs, cried out against this cruel fate.

Kriem kept quiet and stayed with her...

 **. . .**

She had been right after all. Despite all her strength and ability, Lilly was a crying mess at the moment. She probably wanted to be alone before letting those feelings show, but Kriem would have none of that; she continued to hold her fellow Witch and let her cry it all out. There was nothing she could say to help right now, so she said nothing.

The Witch of Salvation had been born a few hours ago, in the same moment Mortal World's Witch lost what was the most precious to her.

Minutes passed and the convulsions going through the slender body she held became gradually weaker until Lilly was just lying in her arms, eyes red and closed.

"Do you feel at least a little better now?"

Kriem continued to hold the older Witch, who stirred and opened her eyes a little before sitting up as best as she could with another's arms around her. "A little... thank you."

"Do not mention it."

They kept sitting there in a quite comfortable silence.

 **. . .**

"What are they doing, I wonder?"

Candel turned around to look at her friend before wigglings her arms a bit. "I don't know... but I don't think Lilly wants us to know. Let's carry on, Char!"

"Um... okay!"

The two dolls went back to work on the room they decided to be their kitchen; still, the Dress-Up Witch wondered for how long her oldest friend would be upset. Losing her sister like that... she could not even imagine how Lilly felt right now.

It would probably be fine sooner or later, but this was not exactly nice. And it was also bad she had not yet managed to talk to Kriemhild properly; the other Witch was nice... but also really scary.

She would do that soon.

* * *

I am a little sad that I do not get to finish this exactly two years after starting the story. So instead, the last chapters are coming up during this week.


	74. Journey's End III

It is touching to see people worrying about me picking up the pace, but there is really no need to; those chapters were already done for a while and I just decided to put them up sooner because they became shorter towards the end.

 **.**

 **. .**

 **. . .**

 **. .**

 **.**

Madoka was still acting weird and neither of them could piece her behaviour together.

It had been a full two weeks since their pink-haired friend started meeting with other girls she never mentioned before, which made especially Hitomi worry. She talked to their new transfer student to ask whether her friend was alright; although Akemi reassured her, the lime-haired girl was not particularly convinced. It just... it did not feel right for some reason and Sayaka thought the same.

Today however, Madoka was bringing them somewhere downtown; it seemed as if they would finally find out what was going on and what exactly she was getting help with from her upperclassman.

The smaller girl was humming and looking forward while Hitomi exchanged a glance with Sayaka, both of them curious and still concerned. What if their friend joined something illegal?

"There it is!"

The three of them entered a rather old apartement building, which was still well-tended to despite its age. A flight of stairs... and then a door with a familiar name written on the plate next to it. This was where Akemi Homura lived.

Madoka gently pressed the doorbell, which produced a barely audible ringing inside; what followed was the tapping of feet before the door was opened a little. Much to Hitomi's surprise however, the girl looking at them was quite a bit smaller than expected... and her eyes were not purple, either. It was a child, whose expression brightened over seeing the pinkette. "Ah, Madoka-san!"

Then the door closed and something rattled before it was opened completely, revealing an elementary schooler that waved them inside. The girl had long and completely white hair, which was a little odd... but Hitomi put that thought aside. If there was a child around, whatever went on here was probably not as bad as they were afraid it would be. Both her and Sayaka bowed at the girl, who smiled up at them and led the way through a bare hallway and into an equally bare living room.

That was... not what she expected. Hitomi never saw so many exposed walls in one room before... but she had no time to ponder on that. There was a blonde wearing their school uniform who just got up from a table in the corner and closed an exercise book; the girl looked very proper, too.

"Well, Hitomi-chan, Sayaka-chan... this is Tomoe Mami-san, a third-year at our school. She has been tutoring me for a while now."

"Good afternoon, Shizuki-san, Miki-san. It is my pleasure."

The older girl bowed politely before motioning for the child, who went to stand next to her. "This is Momoe Nagisa, another girl I am tutoring at the moment."

The younger one waved cheerfully while both her and Sayaka bowed in return. Hitomi was feeling far better about this whole matter now; this was all but proof of things not being as bad as she thought they were.

"Nice to meet you both", the blunette next to her spoke first, although she turned to Madoka right afterwards. "Still, I had no idea you needed tutoring."

"Ehehe... it's rather special, really. That's also why I wanted you to come here."

The pinkette looked a bit sheepish while saying that; therefore, Hitomi smiled at her friend to reassure her. "There is no shame in needing help, Madoka-san. What exactly did you need us for?"

"This is probably easier shown than explained", Tomoe interrupted politely. She held a sparkling yellow gem in hand the second-year could have sworn was not there a moment ago. The blonde held out this stone and... the very air in front of her started to warp around before... tearing up?

It really looked as if there was suddenly a hole in everything and Hitomi quickly took a step back. "W-What..."

"Whoa, what the heck is that?"

There was no doubt that this was not there before. Maybe it was a hologram, but with how everyone reacted around it... whatever this was, it looked weird. A diamond-shape that sported a crossed sword and shield on the top half with a flower on top as well as a teacup and...was that a block of cheese next to it on the lower half?

"I... um... I really thought you should know this. You two are my best friends after all, so..."

Madoka went silent before finishing the statement, but Hitomi could guess what she wanted to say. Before she could ask any more however, Tomoe motioned for the strange... thing floating in mid-air. "We should get to the other side first before discussing this. Please follow me."

And then she just walked through it; the surface rippled for a moment and the blonde was gone. Momoe jumped in right after her. The lime-haired girl could not really bring herself to move, she merely stared at the still surface that just swallowed two human beings. Sayaka appeared to feel not much better about this than she did.

"I know it's a bit rushed, but you will understand once we get inside. It's safe."

Madoka reluctantly took their hands while saying so, obviously distraught and nervous; it did not help Hitomi's mind in figuring out what exactly was going on here, though. Her friend would never play an elaborate prank like this, but... what kind of explanation was there? Magic, which did not really exist?

"Okay..."

She only mumbled, still unable to get a clear thought over this. At the same time, the lime-haired girl started to get curious about what was actually going on.

The two girls were gently led through whatever this was... this... 'curtain'; it felt like falling through the void for a moment, but then they were somewhere else entirely. Feet firmly planted on the ground... Hitomi saw an extensive night sky above and on the horizon as well as a large plain in front of her. A stone castle stood in the distance, the only real sign of civilisation to be seen.

And there were Tomoe and Momoe, both of them waiting expectantly; the blonde wore a polite smile that hid every other emotion while the white-haired girl beamed cheerfully.

 _Huh..._

They just stood within an apartement... and now there was no trace of Mitakihara anymore.

"I... um... I know this is weird for both of you, but... I just didn't want to keep it a secret from my friends, even when everyone was against telling you two."

Madoka had let go of them and was scratching the back of her head with a sheepish smile before Tomoe took over: "To answer the question you probably have already, this is a Witch's barrier. A bounded field hidden from our own world, inaccessible to anyone but us Magical Girls. A Witch, in turn, is usually a creature that preys on humans to devour their souls. The four living in here are friendly, though... and most likely the only ones to ever be."

"...Wait, seriously? But Magical Girls only exist in Anime, don't they?"

Sayaka was a bit faster in getting her thoughts in order at this one, though Hitomi was still busy trying to digest what was just said. Proof was right in front of her, making it impossible for all of this to just be a prank. Oh, how much she would have liked it... but her mind was too grounded in reality to just accept this; either she had gone insane, or the world had. It was probably her, but that would mean all those around her to be the same...

"They are very much real, Miki-san. Although the job is not as nice as all those shows make it appear. I will explain that part later... it seems that our friends would like to introduce themselves now."

While saying the last part, Tomoe kept looking down at that yellow gem of hers; its glow continued to rise in strength until it was hard to look at... the same went for the white trinket in Momoe's hands. On a whim, Hitomi turned back to Madoka and found the pinkette also holding one of those gems, this one in pink. What was with those?

Then she noticed something soaring through the air right towards them... no, two somethings. Sayaka took a step in front of her, which the girl was grateful for; as much as she doubted anything in this place wanting to hurt them, it was scary. Those things, whatever they were, were not human at all. Just what was going on?

Then they were upon them, two of the weirdest dolls Hitomi ever saw... and the first thing they did was fly over to greet the Magical Girls happily. The blue one wrapped long, yellow ribbons around everyone in what might be a hug but looked rather uncomfortable. The other one... just jammed into the girls and let them hug it.

"I know things are going a bit fast, but please let us introduce them", Tomoe noted after the dolls calmed down.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

It... it actually went better than expected, at least Madoka thought so. Sayaka took the new revelations at least somewhat in stride and seemed to get along with both Candel and Char well enough. Hitomi, on the other hand... at least it was not as bad as it might have been. The lime-haired girl was walking with them, after all. She did not faint or run away screaming or something like that.

The six of them were sitting together in one of the more spacious living rooms at the castle; Homura and Kriem were somewhere else right now, just as the they had decided to do. Madoka could understand why it would be a good idea to ease her friends into this whole thing as much as possible, especially after the cold start they had. That... probably could have gone better if she thought about it more.

"I... I am not sure what to think still. Please forgive me for saying so, Madoka-san, but this is madness."

Hitomi did not look happy at all, that much was obvious. Before either the pinkette or Sayaka could react to the statement however, Mami chimed in with a sad smile: "I am afraid you are right, Shizuki-san. This is madness... and to be honest, it will not get any better. I mentioned that there are risks in becoming a Magical Girl, yes?"

While both of the regular girls nodded, Madoka already realised what came next and looked down at her Soul Gem; she could hear her senior well enough anyway. "Aside from constantly risking ones life in battle against feral Witches, we are at risk of becoming Witches ourselves. Once a Soul Gem is completely tainted from overuse or emotional exhaustion, it will turn into a Grief Seed."

Hitomi needed a moment to connect this new bit of knowledge before realising what was just said. "Huh?!"

"Wait, what?", Sayaka added a moment later with alarm. They both had their eyes on Madoka, who was looking down at her gently shining Soul Gem once again. However, Tomoe was once more faster in responding: "This does not go for Kaname-san. She wished that her Soul Gem could never be corrupted, so she can not become a Witch at all."

"B-But still... doesn't that bother you? Like, at all?"

Hitomi continued her attempt at keeping calm and let her friend talk; Sayaka was always better at handling news first before the lime-haired girl swept in for the details. They usually did things that way, partly because the blunette simply responded faster in most cases. Tomoe only smiled over the question, though. "It will be a long time before that happens to me and I have plenty of reason not to be afraid. For one, even if it happens... one of our friends is incredibly skilled at slaying Witches and will do so without hesitation. Aside from that, Candel over here is my own Witch already; I have a good idea of what I will end up as."

The doll nodded happily before pointing one of her... arms over towards Momoe and the other Witch. "It's just as Mami said. Nagisa is fine too, and she has Char around."

 **. . .**

Hitomi blinked at the smaller beings for a second; if she just understood this correctly, those two were how Tomoe and Momoe would end up in the end? But then, with four Witches here... would that mean...

While Sayaka was still thinking about what was said, she turned her gaze to her other friend. "Madoka-san... does that mean you have a Witch of your own in here? Are there any other Magical Girls with you which were not introduced to us yet?"

She had to make sure of this before concluding anything, but the fact that Madoka once again had this sheepish expression was really telling already. However, Momoe looked decidedly unhappy all of a sudden.

"Um... well... the only other Magical Girl around is... uh, was... Homura-chan... and her and my Witch are here, yes..."

The pinkette spoke slowly and made little sense while doing so, but Hitomi could at least piece things together by now; there were still holes in her understanding, though. She nodded slowly before looking around the room... it might very well be that they were around and she just did not notice, but there was no one. "So Akemi-san is a Magical Girl as well... it makes sense, considering that you got along so well with her ever since she transferred in."

For some reason, her statement made expressions drop even more than before. However, a certain blunette chimed in rather quickly... and probably without even noticing the change: "So... do they look like dolls, too?"

Sayaka's question made the other middle-schoolers smile and Candeloro giggle; it was the Witch who responded: "Not at all... they don't have their real bodies, though. Lilly would be huge, at least thirty meters... and Kriem is even larger."

 _Huh... Witches are... that big?_

The thought was probably showing on her face, seeing that Tomoe nodded gently. "I rarely saw any Witch smaller than six to seven meters; Candel and Char are exceptions from the rule in this case."

"I... I see."

It must be awful to go into battle against such creatures all the time; Hitomi could never do something like this herself and deeply respected anyone who could. On the other hand, Madoka was among this group as well; but was this really alright for the gentle girl?

On second thought, Hitomi found with another glance at the other people in the room, her friend was probably as safe as she could be. That was at least reassuring... although she was still worrying.

"Would it be okay to meet the other Witches as well?"

She figured she might as well ask, seeing that her curiousity had awoken in full by now. The lime-haired girl was regarded with a polite smile and nod from Tomoe, then the Magical Girls rose. Madoka closed her eyes for some reason and the Witches already went over to the door. "You don't need to sense for her, Madoka. They're at the roof!"

Yellow ribbons expanded from their arms before easily winding around the handle and pushing it down. This was a remarkable flexibility and also really creepy. Where did Candel stuff away all this excess cloth when she was not using it?

The girl shivered slightly at the thought before following.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

When they reached the roof, both her and Sayaka stopped to look at the sky again. Seen from here, it shone even more brilliantly than before; it might just be her imagination, though.

Nonetheless, it took Hitomi a while before her eyes returned to the stone floor and she looked around for the people they were to meet up here; the castle was vast enough to have a large roof, although most of it was completely flat.

On this grey stone however, it was very easy to notice a hole of crawling blackness towards the center. With another glance however, Hitomi noticed that no, this was not a hole. However, the colour hurt her eyes and she really did not want to look at it; it sprawled all around someone in its center, pale against the skittering dark... just what was wrong with that part of the roof?

The being amidst the... whatever it was... slowly turned their head around to look; her pink eyes were familiar in an instant, although the skin appeared much more like a pristine white... probably because of all the black around her. But this was without doubt Madoka; with Madoka standing right next to her however...

"Oh my, our visitors have already arrived... please forgive me being so sloppy right now."

It was the same voice as her friend had... but still different; somehow, this girl sounded more melodic than Madoka ever did. When she rose, the darkness rippled and drew back to her before folding around... was that a dress?!

Both her and Sayaka stared while the perfect copy of their friend came closer, each step making Hitomi feel more on edge; something about her felt incredibly dangerous.

"Now that you're here, it's probably time for a proper introduction", another voice noted from behind them. Turning around, they found Akemi sitting above the door all of them just came through. She was also clad in a black dress, but this one was nothing like the one belonging to the girl back there. It was normal material, not... liquid shadow or whatever else. On second thought, she was probably Akemi's Witch and not Akemi herself.

"I am Homulilly, Mortal World's Witch. Over there is Kriemhild Gretchen, the Witch of Salvation. She is also the goddess of all Witches, belonging to the most powerful Magical Girl that ever was and ever will be."

Akemi's Witch smiled humourlessly while taking to the air and hovering down to stand next to them. Hitomi found herself caught up on what she just said, though; her eyes snapped back to the smiling pinkette standing in front of them now, then to Madoka, who was grinning sheepishly.

"I just thought I should finish the string of surprises for now", the raven-haired Witch noted before the other one took over. For some reason, the middle-schooler felt some kind of pressure on her mind that increased with every step she came closer. "In any way, it is my pleasure to... you ... huh?"

 **. . .**

"Hitomi?!"

"Hitomi-chan!?"

It was Mami who caught the younger girl when she fainted, managing to keep her from falling to the ground. Lilly suppressed a sigh and also withstood the urge to roll her eyes. It had been obvious something like this would happen when even the regular Witches had a hard time being around Kriem. She was gaining strength by the day, courtesy of her ability to remotely absorb taint from Soul Gems; at least her training to rein in the aura helped everyone cope and other Witches had reluctantly returned to Mitakihara as well.

But humans also had instincts, even if they were not really sharp at this point of their evolution. Nonetheless, even they could sense something as powerful as the Witch of Salvation; how else would their body react but with shock when having her this close? The only reason Miki still stood was because she was not as close; Lilly motioned for Kriem to take a step back and the pinkette complied without any protests.

"Besides, something like this was why I didn't want to tell them, Madoka."

She crouched next to the unconcious girl, whose friends were at least somewhat shaken out of their shock by her words. "I need her to sit up. Candel, Mami?"

It only took a moment before a stream of yellow ribbons gently picked up Hitomi, prompting both Sayaka and Madoka to take a step back from the other girl; Lilly closed her eyes for a moment before undoing the human's bowtie and pulling back her sweater.

"Um... Ho-Homura-chan? What are you doing?"

"Salvaging this."

Thankfully, Sayaka picked up on how she was just called and started questioning the pinkette again; that gave Lilly enough time to gather magic and press her lips onto Hitomi's neck undisturbed. She noted that Nagisa seemed curious about what she was doing and Mami looked surprised; however, neither of them stopped her.

Once she was done, Lilly rubbed her lips and returned the girl's clothes back to how they were before. In the meantime, her magic went to work.

"Wake up."

Just as she told her to, Hitomi's eyes snapped open and the girl gasped for some reason; it took her a moment to notice that something had changed and she looked around with obvious confusion. "What happened?"

"You passed out."

Lilly got back to her feet while the ribbons put her charge back up carefully. "But this isn't important right now. Would you like to forget everything you heard and saw here?"

Hitomi was surprised by that, but she did not ask any questions; the feelings all around were still there, so she probably understood why Lilly asked.

"Um... but why?"

However, Madoka did not. Thankfully, she had Kriem to take over this explanation; everyone else listened as well while the other pinkette explained to her counterpart: "Lilly is being considerate about Shizuki-san's own feelings. It is not easy for non-Magical Girls to cope with all this knowledge; we were talking about it before and I believe I understand Lilly's intentions a bit better now. She did not want them to know because it will probably be bad for them."

Following that, Kriem turned her head back to her. "Was that correct?"

The older Witch nodded calmly, but did not take her gaze off the girl she just Kissed to circumvent the current situation. Shizuki Hitomi had the potential to become a Magical Girl, but lacked the mindset appropriate for the task; this human was emotionally stable and probably beyond her years, so there was little to be expected in terms of breakdowns. It was noticeable right now as well, seeing that the girl was thinking about the question in earnest.

Everyone waited for her response and after a minute or two, she nodded slowly. "Yes, I would like that."

Mortal World's Witch already suspected this response. "Very well. Forget everything you saw and heard here; Madoka introduced you to one of the upperclassmen, who tutors her in math and English. There was nothing of importance said... and now sleep."

On her order, Hitomi's eyes closed again and the girl became limp. Madoka did not seem happy at all and Mami was at least sympathetic... and Miki observed everything with suspicion.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

"Today was a disaster..."

Kriem gently petted her sister's head, who was currently the only one at the table with her aside from Lilly. Mami went to walk Nagisa and Sayaka home while the other Witches were still playing in the plains.

"I told you it wouldn't go well", the raven-haired girl noted with a glance to the side. She was currently reading a book of sorts, probably for school. "Those two won't become Magical Girls, so they shouldn't know about any of this."

"However, Sayaka has not asked for her memories to be altered; she seemed quite fine with what she learned here."

Lilly nodded before snapping the book shut. "She does, but that's because she doesn't think about this enough to actually understand."

The Witch of Salvation chuckled over her friend's rather accurate description. With what she knew from Madoka -who was not trying to deny it-, this was probably true.


	75. Journey's End IV

It was time.

Dark clouds once again covered Mitakihara, the population took shelter from the storm and their group had gathered. Now that this was the last time they would face the Queen of Witches, Lilly felt almost nostalgic.

She was born because of Walpurgis; all of her fellow Witches were given life for the same reason.

"Yuri-san?"

Mortal World's Witch opened her eyes and turned to the group of Magical Girls standing ready; Mami was in the front, flanked by both Madoka and Nagisa. They made for a weird trio, but were definitely capable of getting things done. Both of the newcomers did well in their training and the blonde was a good teacher. However...

"I was thinking", she told them. "Just stick to the plan and keep ready to intercept."

"Although I doubt that their participation will be necessary in this case."

Kriem's statement was undoubtedly true; at least Mami stopped insisting to do all of this together by now. The Witch of Salvation should be strong enough to take down the Stage-Constructing Witch by herself.

"B-But... how do you want to do it? You never even showed us what kind of magic you have, Kriemhild-san..."

The blonde was still so overly polite, but there was no helping it in this case. Mami would never change. At this point, trying to keep Kriem's abilities a secret would probably not work anymore, either; Lilly was a little uncomfortable about it herself, if she was honest. It was a terrifying power.

Nonetheless, she nodded at the pinkette, who smoothed out her black dress after getting back to her feet. The air was growing thicker with magic, but it was not from Kriem this time. "For the time being, let us say my power is less flashy than either of yours. We believe it is more suited for a battle outside of a barrier."

Then the younger Witch did what Lilly was still unable to: she plunged herself deeper into her own desires the way they had been practicing. Kriem's eyes started to shine in a dark purple light before the right one grew completely black; black lines started to creep over her right cheek, temple and the nose, centered around her Grief Seed... as if the cocoon that was this body slowly cracked under the might within. Mami and Madoka paled at the sight while Nagisa hid behind the blonde.

"Now then, everyone. Let us free this poor soul from her torment."

But her smile never faltered; it was unsettling to have a mind so dedicated on saving others' lifes with her. Especially because Kriem's definition of saving was to kill them dead. At least she kept it down most of the time... but right now was a moment where her mind could focus on the being whose presence grew stronger. Lilly herself only got around 'being saved' by a hair when they were practicing... it was difficult for the younger Witch to do the balancing act between human sanity and her very own personality.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

They did not need to wait much longer; yet it was long enough for the Magical Girls to become decidedly uncomfortable with Kriem's behaviour. The eldritch pinkette never left the position she took earlier and started to mumble under her breath in foreign languages. For some reason, it was the same one Lilly found herself using before... they sometimes fell into using it without even noticing, which really irritated the people around them.

Over her musing however, the presence of Walpurgis became ever stronger and she could see the gargantuan form materialise in the distance. But something was different right now...

"It... she is not raising any of the buildings."

When Mami noted that with a little bit of confusion, Lilly noticed as well; usually, skyscrapers would start floating the moment their opponent arrived. It was different this time, as if Walpurgis was... confused? Scared? Reluctant? She could not tell.

Kriem on her part merely spread her arms as if to embrace the Queen of Witches and a thin beam of dark energy leashed out from her black eye. It reached the towering being within seconds and warped everything around it. Even the air seemed to coil away from the wrongness contained in this attack; Walpurgis herself started to contort as if she was washed out of reality by a whirlwind. Yet she did not stop laughing until only a tiny, black sphere was left of her. It popped and the oppressive presence was gone, with it the laughter and silence reigned again.

Lilly felt every hair on her body standing on edge; only the masterful control she inherited from her sister stopped her body from shaking over what just happened.

"That... that was it? Just like that? I mean..."

Madoka stopped herself, but they were all thinking similar things while Kriem slowly returned to her human-like state, the black cracks in her skin closing. The Queen of Witches had fallen, felled with a single strike.

 **.**

 **. . .**

 **.**

There was no storm and everyone was surprised; at least all the humans were, not counting their Magical Girls. Kriem smiled over the thought while sitting down in the scrying room they set up; it was still small and could not reach further than a few city blocks, but it allowed them to perceive the outside world from within their barrier.

Needless to say, Lilly spent almost every free minute in here ever since it was completed; her nature became apparent very easily once one saw her staring at the wall with such interest. It was built to work like a large screen and allowed to take a good view at everything around.

It was the first of May. The cycle was broken.

"What will happen now? Mitakihara is safe and Kyubey accepted our claim to the city after all. Do you have any plans?"

They sat next to each other, looking up at what happened outside of the barrier; Kriem carefully took her friend's hand to convey the feelings they both knew they had. Lilly did not react much aside from closing her eyes and sighing; the older Witch was still on edge over something unexpected happening.

"I... I don't know. I never thought about it all that much before... getting to this point was far more important and Homura already knew she would die afterwards. Now that I get to live... I think I will take a break first."

So that was what bothered her. Kriem smiled reassuringly and gently stroked Lilly's back while turning her gaze back to the wall. "I see. How about we go on doing whatever the four of us decide to do once your break is over?"

In fact, she already had an idea what to do later on... it was a little bit ambitious, though, so Kriem hoped to have her fellow Witches helping her. Lilly just glanced over to her and the Witch of Salvation knew she was found out already. "What do you have in mind?"

Straight to the point, just as usual; the pinkette could not help herself but smile brighter. "I want to save all the Magical Girls that are suffering. I want to save all the people of this world as well... but we already talked about that."

They had this conversation a few weeks ago, to be exact; Lilly made a good argument for how difficult it was to save everyone, if not impossible. Of course Kriem would like to try doing the impossible... "So for now, I want to save as many as I possibly can. All those children deserve to be happy."

"So you want to kill them all?"

That... would have been her course of action originally, but Kriem really thought about it ever since they spoke about this before. "No. Those girls are special, each and every one. Some can obtain happiness here and without being freed; I can do that once they fall into despair."

Even though Lilly tried to hide it, the pinkette could see her smirk behind the curtain of raven hair. "I see. What do you have in mind?"

"I want to conquer the world."

The other Witch stopped and pondered Kriem's statement for a while, then she turned around in earnest and with interest in her eyes. "Oh? How come?"

Neither of them took note of the screen anymore; they both knew this was important and for some reason, Lilly's emotions calmed down to an extent she rarely sensed during the last weeks. Her friend was thinking already. The Witch of Salvation smiled once more.

"I realised that, to save and protect the Magical Girls, someone who knows about them and seeks their protection needs to stand on top. Be it in the open or from the shadows, I want to rule this world to bring at least a tiny glimmer of hope to all those that fight. But I can not do it alone; I need your help, your planning capabilities and your time magic to work around problems I can not fix with overwhelming firepower. I have not yet asked Candeloro or Charlotte though; your opinion is more important to me."

Lilly smiled. Not smirked, but genuinely smiled. It was gone very soon and became a more playful smirk, but Mortal World's Witch continued to emanate content. Kriem already knew her answer before she even opened her mouth. "Madoka is safe and will be that way for as long as she wants. My... our task is now completed."

The raven-haired girl rose to her feet with a serenity she had never shown before; they both stared at each other, pink and purple meeting in pleasant agreement. "My life is now mine to spend. For as long as you leave my freedom intact, I have no problem serving you. If by claiming the world we can stop humankind from destroying itself, it would be my own goal anyway. You know what I want."

The Witch of Salvation rose as well and smiled at her friend. Of course she knew that Lilly's nature was to observe humans; if she could do that forevermore, she would be happy. "I do and I am grateful that you agree. Let us gather our companions now, then talk to the Magical Girls."

The Witches turned to leave, Kriem brimming with joy and eager to get started.

This tale of friendship and magic was over, but it was obviously not the end of anything.

Nonetheless, it was time to close the curtain. A new part of her life would begin now... no, it had already begun when Madoka's wish cast away the dark.

 **. . . . .**

 **. . .**

[Salvation]

Fifth Act: End

 **.**

A little more than two years... this story grew by itself and to a size I never expected in the beginning. It turned out well enough, though.

Now however, I can finally close the curtain over this adventure; there is no sequel planned, even if the last lines sound like it. I might change my mind later on... but right now, there are other things I want to write.

It was my pleasure and I am happy for such a large amount of people being interested in this piece of work.


End file.
